Keir Starmer is braced for a hostile reception from MPs next week as the fallout over Peter Mandelson's security vetting failure intensifies. The prime minister’s claim that he was “staggered” not to have been informed has been met with widespread scepticism, with senior figures accusing him of sacking a top civil servant to protect his premiership.
Olly Robbins, who was forced to quit as permanent secretary of the Foreign Office after the disclosure, is expected to appear before the Commons foreign affairs select committee on Tuesday. He is understood to be furious at his treatment and may challenge Downing Street’s version of events, raising the prospect of further damage to Starmer.
The Guardian revealed on Friday that two other senior civil servants – cabinet secretary Antonia Romeo and Cabinet Office permanent secretary Catherine Little – had known about the vetting issue last month. Government sources denied they had sat on the information, insisting complex checks were needed before sharing highly sensitive data with the prime minister, who was only told on Tuesday.
Downing Street has squarely blamed the Foreign Office, with Starmer’s spokesperson refusing to rule out a “cover-up”. The prime minister said it was “unforgivable” that he was not told about the UK Security Vetting (UKSV) recommendation to deny Mandelson clearance to become ambassador to the US, a decision later overruled by the Foreign Office.
Ciaran Martin, a former senior civil servant and friend of Robbins, told the BBC that the sacked official had been made a scapegoat, arguing that vetting was a risk assessment and that officials had a duty not to disclose details to ministers. However, another senior government source suggested it was highly unusual for the Foreign Office to reject UKSV advice and that Robbins could have at least informed a senior minister of the fact.
