Sir Olly Robbins, the UK Foreign Office’s top civil servant, has been forced out of his post after the decision to override a security vetting failure for Peter Mandelson. Robbins was the department’s most senior official in late January 2025 when the decision was made, paving the way for Mandelson to become the US ambassador.
The Guardian understands that Robbins was told he had to resign after Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper lost confidence in him. Starmer is said to have been furious when he learned Mandelson had initially failed the developed vetting process, a highly confidential background check by security officials.
Mandelson’s failure to secure vetting approval had not previously been publicly revealed, despite intense scrutiny over his appointment. The decision to use a rarely employed authority to override the security officials’ recommendation was taken by Foreign Office officials.
Yvette Cooper only became aware of the vetting failure when the Guardian broke the story on Thursday. She spent the evening in the department and Downing Street with Starmer, where she spoke to Robbins. They concluded that he could no longer continue in post.
Downing Street released a statement stressing that Starmer and David Lammy, who was foreign secretary at the time, had no knowledge of the vetting failure, and said responsibility lay with the Foreign Office. Robbins, the UK government’s former Brexit negotiator, had been in his role for just three weeks when the decision was made.
