Sir Olly Robbins, the top civil servant at the Foreign Office, has been forced to resign after a Guardian investigation revealed that his department overruled a decision to deny Peter Mandelson security vetting clearance. Mandelson, who was appointed UK ambassador to the US by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, failed a developed vetting process in January 2025, according to multiple sources.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) used a rarely exercised authority to override the recommendation from UK Security Vetting (UKSV), a Cabinet Office division. Downing Street insisted that Starmer had no knowledge of the decision until this week and that responsibility lay with the FCDO. Starmer is said to be 'furious' about being kept in the dark.
The revelation has sparked calls for Starmer's resignation from opposition leaders. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said that if the prime minister misled the House of Commons over the vetting, he 'must take responsibility'. Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey added: 'If Keir Starmer has misled parliament and lied to the British people, he has to go.'
It has also emerged that senior government officials have considered withholding documents from parliament that would reveal Mandelson's failed vetting. The decision, which rests with the Cabinet Office, has not yet been taken. Any attempt to withhold documents from the Intelligence and Security Committee could breach a parliamentary motion to release all papers relating to Mandelson's appointment.
Downing Street has stated it is committed to complying with the parliamentary motion, but documents requiring redaction on national security grounds will be provided to the ISC. The government has released 147 pages of documents on the case, but the vetting failure was not previously disclosed.
