Keir Starmer is facing growing isolation within his own cabinet over his decision to sack Foreign Office permanent secretary Olly Robbins, amid the escalating Peter Mandelson vetting scandal. Multiple ministers spoke out during a tense cabinet meeting on Tuesday, with some questioning the prime minister’s judgment and calling for Robbins to be reinstated.
The deputy prime minister, David Lammy, warned against creating a “them and us” mentality between ministers and officials, while the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, questioned whether it was justifiable to sack Robbins and then praise him as an outstanding civil servant. The health secretary, Wes Streeting, and the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, urged Starmer not to pick fights with officials and instead to keep them “on side”.
Robbins, who was sacked within hours of the Guardian’s report that Mandelson had been appointed despite vetting officials recommending he be denied security clearance, gave composed testimony to a committee of MPs on Tuesday. He confirmed he had not told Downing Street about the vetting concerns, the reason Starmer gave for his dismissal. However, his description of the “atmosphere of pressure” from No 10 to confirm Mandelson has persuaded some in Labour that the sacking was premature.
One senior cabinet minister is understood to believe Robbins should have been suspended rather than sacked. Meanwhile, Pat McFadden, the work and pensions secretary, repeatedly declined to say whether the sacking was fair, stating only that he thought highly of Robbins. Some former mandarins, including Simon McDonald, a predecessor of Robbins, have called for his reinstatement, accusing Starmer of “rushing to a wrong judgment”.
