A senior official of the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), Sir Olly Robbins, has been forced to resign. The reason is a loss of confidence from Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper amid the scandal surrounding the granting of security clearance to Peter Mandelson, the former British Ambassador to the United States.
According to The Guardian, Peter Mandelson failed an enhanced security vetting check in late January 2025. The UK Security Vetting service recommended denying him access to classified materials. However, Foreign Office officials took the rare step of overturning this decision and granted Mandelson the necessary clearance anyway, allowing him to take up the post of Ambassador in Washington.
The government stated that neither Prime Minister Starmer nor ministers were aware of the reversal of the intelligence services’ recommendation until this week. The decision was made at the level of ministry officials. Nevertheless, following the publication of the scandal’s details, confidence in Sir Olly Robbins — who had held the position of Permanent Under-Secretary of the Foreign Office for just three weeks — was irreparably undermined.
The scandal surrounding Mandelson had previously flared up due to his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. The former ambassador was dismissed and is currently under a police investigation on suspicion of misconduct in public office and the possible disclosure of confidential documents.
Robbins’ resignation is yet another blow to the Labour government and has increased pressure on Keir Starmer. The opposition is already accusing the Prime Minister of having misled Parliament regarding the procedure for Mandelson’s appointment.
No official comment has yet been received from Olly Robbins himself. The Foreign Office is expected to announce a new Permanent Under-Secretary in the near future.