The most senior civil servant at the Foreign Office has been forced out after his department overruled security officials who had refused to grant Peter Mandelson developed vetting clearance for his role as ambassador to Washington.
The Guardian has learned that Sir Olly Robbins was told to resign after the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper lost confidence in him. The decision to override the recommendation from UK Security Vetting was taken by Foreign Office officials in January 2025, shortly after Mr Mandelson was announced as the UK's chief diplomat in the US.
Downing Street insisted that neither the Prime Minister nor any government minister was aware that Mr Mandelson had been granted clearance against the advice until earlier this week. A No 10 spokesperson said Sir Keir Starmer was "furious" and had instructed officials to establish the facts and update Parliament.
The revelation has intensified political pressure on Sir Keir. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the Prime Minister must take responsibility if he misled the House of Commons, while Ed Davey of the Liberal Democrats said he would have to go if he had lied. The Government is expected to release further documents, but senior officials are considering whether to withhold some from the intelligence and security committee.
The Government said it was committed to complying with a parliamentary order to release all papers relating to the appointment, and that any redactions would be provided to the ISC. It remains unclear which official made the decision to overrule UKSV, a rarely used authority. Sir Keir had previously said that Mr Mandelson had been given "clearance for the role".
