Government settles with sacked Foreign Office chief over Mandelson vetting

Summarised from 4 outlets · 5 reports · Updated 16 Oct, 18:15 · Archive

The Government has reached an out-of-court settlement with Sir Olly Robbins, the former top civil servant at the Foreign Office, after he challenged his sacking.

Sir Olly Robbins, the permanent under-secretary at the Foreign Office, was sacked in April after it emerged he had overruled a recommendation from UK Security Vetting not to grant Lord Mandelson security clearance. Mandelson had been announced as Britain's ambassador to the US in December 2024 and formally took up the role in February 2025 after being granted clearance. He was later removed from the position after further information emerged about his previous friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Robbins had requested a judicial review of the Prime Minister's decision to dismiss him. The FDA union, which represented him, announced on Friday that the Government had chosen to settle out of court. The Guardian reports that Robbins received a six-figure payout, though other outlets report the settlement amount has not been made public.

In a statement, Robbins said he was grateful for support from colleagues and friends during the difficult period, and thanked the FDA for its assistance in reaching the settlement. He said he was looking forward to moving on to the next chapter of his life.

Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA, said the settlement ended the judicial review proceedings but stated that the affair had damaged trust between civil servants and ministers. Penman characterised Robbins as having been made a scapegoat for the misjudgement of the Prime Minister, calling it one of the lowest points in recent civil service-ministerial relations.

Robbins had previously said that it was normal practice not to share the findings of the developed vetting process and described feeling under pressure to clear Mandelson for the role. Prime Minister Starmer said it was wrong for Robbins not to have informed him of the vetting outcome, and insisted he would not have appointed Mandelson had he known the concerns.

How it is being reported

• Another bill for taxpayers left by Starmer as Government reaches settlement with top official sacked for waving through Mandelson vettingOlly Robbins, who was Britain's Brexit negotiator when Theresa May was PM, was fired as the most senior civil servant at the Foreign Office by Sir Keir in April this year.Daily Mail · 16 Oct, 18:10
• Six-figure payout for senior civil servant sacked over Peter Mandelson vettingFormer head of Foreign Office Olly Robbins applied for judicial review after Keir Starmer dismissed him in April Olly Robbins, the former head of the Foreign Office sacked by Keir Starmer over his role in vetting Peter Mandelson, has received a more than six-figure payout from the government over his dismissal. Robbins had applied to the high court for a judicial review of the prime minister’s decision to remove him as the top civil servant at the Foreign Office after he was dismissed in April. Continue reading...The Guardian · 16 Oct, 17:44
• Government settles out of court after challenge by sacked Foreign Office chiefSir Olly Robbins had requested a judicial review over his sacking, after he was removed as the top civil servant at the Foreign Office.Evening Standard · 16 Oct, 17:31
• Ex-top official Robbins reaches settlement with government over sackingSir Olly Robbins was sacked as the top civil servant in the Foreign Office over the vetting of Lord Mandelson.BBC Politics · 16 Oct, 17:29
• Government settles out of court after challenge by sacked Foreign Office chiefSir Olly Robbins had requested a judicial review over his sacking, after he was removed as the top civil servant at the Foreign Office.Evening Standard · 16 Oct, 16:54

In this story: Sir Olly Robbins · Sir Keir Starmer · Lord Peter Mandelson · Foreign Office · FDA · United States

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem