Foreign Office’s top civil servant Olly Robbins to leave post over Mandelson vetting row
Summary
Sir Olly Robbins, the top civil servant at the UK Foreign Office, is leaving after a decision to overturn a security vetting failure for Peter Mandelson was made without full approval. Mandelson was initially denied clearance required to become the UK ambassador to the US, but officials in the Foreign Office overruled this recommendation, leading to loss of confidence in Robbins.Key Facts
- Sir Olly Robbins was the senior official at the UK Foreign Office in January 2025 when the vetting decision about Peter Mandelson was made.
- Peter Mandelson failed a developed vetting process, a confidential background security check needed for sensitive roles.
- Despite the failed vetting, Foreign Office officials used a special authority to approve Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador.
- Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper reportedly lost confidence in Robbins after the issue came to light.
- Starmer and David Lammy (former foreign secretary) said they did not know about the vetting failure before the news broke.
- Robbins had been in his role only three weeks when the veto decision occurred; he previously worked on Brexit negotiations.
- The government released statements saying responsibility for the vetting decision lies with the Foreign Office, not political leaders.
- The vetting failure and the official override had not been made public until reported by The Guardian, sparking political controversy.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.
