Sacked civil servant to speak out in Mandelson vetting row
Summary
Sir Olly Robbins, a senior civil servant at the UK Foreign Office, was removed from his job after the prime minister found out he had not informed ministers about Lord Peter Mandelson failing his security vetting to be ambassador in Washington. Sir Olly will speak in Parliament to explain his reasons, including his view of the law that limited what he could share.Key Facts
- Sir Olly Robbins was the permanent under secretary at the UK Foreign Office since January 2025.
- He was dismissed last Thursday by the prime minister for not revealing Lord Mandelson’s failed security vetting.
- Lord Mandelson had been announced as ambassador to Washington before the vetting failure was known.
- Sir Olly says the law, the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010, prevented him from sharing the vetting results.
- The prime minister’s side disagrees and says Sir Olly should have informed ministers.
- The Foreign Affairs Select Committee is questioning Sir Olly about what he knew and who he told.
- Critics are upset that Sir Olly did not disclose the information earlier to Parliament.
- There will be further debates in the UK House of Commons about this issue.
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