Keir Starmer sacks Foreign Office chief Olly Robbins over Mandelson vetting
April 16, 2026
Sir Keir Starmer has lost confidence in Foreign Office chief Sir Olly Robbins after the department overruled security vetting to clear Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to the US
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has dismissed Sir Olly Robbins, the permanent secretary of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, following a significant controversy over the security vetting of Lord Peter Mandelson. The dismissal stems from revelations that Foreign Office officials overruled a decision by UK Security Vetting to deny clearance to Lord Mandelson for the post of Ambassador to the United States. Sir Olly, who is said to have lost the confidence of both the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, has been forced to leave his post.
The move to appoint Lord Mandelson, a key architect of the "New Labour" era, as ambassador to Washington was intended to strengthen the UK's position, particularly with the return of Donald Trump to the White House. However, the appointment became a severe political liability for Starmer's government. The process was contentious from the start, with concerns raised about Lord Mandelson's past relationship with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Despite initial warnings of a "reputational risk," the appointment proceeded, only to collapse in September of last year when new details about Mandelson's ties to Epstein emerged, forcing Starmer to sack him from the ambassadorial role.
The current crisis erupted this week with the revelation that Lord Mandelson had initially failed the stringent "developed vetting" process in January 2025, but that Foreign Office officials under Sir Olly Robbins's leadership overturned the recommendation. Downing Street insists the Prime Minister was unaware of this critical fact until this week and is reportedly "furious" about the situation. The Prime Minister has now ordered officials to urgently establish the facts of how the clearance was granted and has suspended the Foreign Office's right to overrule security vetting recommendations.
Sir Olly Robbins, a high-profile and veteran civil servant, had a long career working for multiple prime ministers and was notably Theresa May's chief Brexit negotiator. He only returned to the civil service to lead the Foreign Office in January 2025, just weeks before the controversial vetting decision was made. The dismissal of a permanent secretary is a rare and significant event, highlighting a severe breakdown in trust between the government's political leadership and the permanent civil service. The move has triggered a political firestorm, with opposition leaders questioning the Prime Minister's judgment and demanding his resignation.
The fallout from this affair is set to continue, with an interim head of the Foreign Office expected to be appointed shortly. The controversy leaves Lord Mandelson's public service future in tatters, following his resignation from the House of Lords and an ongoing police investigation into allegations he passed sensitive government information to Epstein. For Prime Minister Starmer, the challenge will be to contain the damage and restore confidence in his government's competence and integrity amid accusations of chaos and a lack of transparency.
Source: dailystar