Olly Robbins: Key Figure Dismissed in Mandelson Vetting Scandal
Sir Olly Robbins will appear before MPs on Tuesday. He faces questions about whether he informed Sir Keir Starmer that Lord Peter Mandelson failed security vetting.
Vetting controversy
The former senior civil servant was sacked from the Foreign Office last week. The dismissal followed revelations about the vetting decision.
Downing Street said security officials initially denied clearance. Foreign Office officials then overruled that recommendation for Mandelson’s appointment as UK ambassador to the United States.
Sir Keir said he was “frankly staggered” that he had not been told. He added officials “should and could” have informed him.
Robbins has told the prime minister the vetting rules prevented him from disclosing the UK Security Vetting recommendation. The episode has cast Olly Robbins as a key figure in the wider Mandelson vetting scandal.
Parliamentary scrutiny
He has been formally summoned to give evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday. Chair Emily Thornberry wrote that reports had questioned his earlier answers.
The committee wants clarity on whether the prime minister knew of the Foreign Office decision. Robbins’s testimony could clarify who authorized the override.
Career and honours
Robbins rose to prominence during the Brexit negotiations. He was a central negotiator for Theresa May’s government and drew intense scrutiny during that period.
He studied politics, philosophy and economics at Oxford and joined the Treasury in 1996. Tony Blair later appointed him principal private secretary.
After the 2010 election, David Cameron made Robbins deputy national security adviser. He had responsibility for intelligence, security and resilience.
He negotiated with The Guardian over reporting of material leaked by Edward Snowden. Robbins left government in 2019 and worked for Goldman Sachs and Hakluyt.
Sir Keir brought him back as head of the Foreign Office in January 2025. He had held the post for three weeks when the Mandelson decision was taken.
Robbins was made a Knight Commander of the Order of Saint Michael and Saint George in Baroness May’s resignation honours. The award recognised his long service abroad.
Conflicting accounts
In November, he told a Commons committee the prime minister wanted to make the appointment himself. He said Sir Keir had “taken advice and formed a view” and officials then acted on it.
Those remarks appear to conflict with the Downing Street account that the Foreign Office overruled failed vetting without informing the prime minister. The committee will probe that discrepancy.
What comes next
Robbins’s evidence could provide fresh detail about internal decision-making. The hearing may reveal whether ministers or officials authorised the override.
Filmogaz.com will monitor developments and report on major updates after the committee session concludes.
