Sir Olly Robbins has initiated a legal challenge against his dismissal as the top civil servant at the Foreign Office, according to the FDA union. Keir Starmer removed Sir Olly from his position as the Foreign Office’s chief in April in connection with the Peter Mandelson vetting controversy.
The Prime Minister was angered when it was revealed that Lord Mandelson was appointed as Britain’s ambassador to the US despite failing security vetting. Sir Olly, who was the highest-ranking civil servant at the Foreign Office at the time, played a role in overruling advice from UK Security Vetting (UKSV) to facilitate Mandelson’s appointment.
In response, Sir Olly claimed that he was pressured to expedite Mandelson’s placement and criticized No10 for disregarding the necessity of vetting Lord Mandelson before his appointment. He expressed to a committee of MPs that there was uncertainty regarding whether Mandelson would undergo vetting before heading to Washington.
Sir Olly’s submission to the Court alleges that the Prime Minister lacked the legal authority to dismiss the Head of the Diplomatic Service and that his dismissal lacked a fair process. It further contends that the reasons provided for his dismissal were illogical.
Following the Judicial Review request of his dismissal, Sir Olly stated, “I bring this action reluctantly. It would have been unnecessary if the Prime Minister had simply apologized for his mistake and addressed the distress and costs incurred by me and my family.” He added, “Instead, I am compelled to seek a legal determination that the Prime Minister’s decisions were unlawful and unreasonable.”
The FDA criticized the dismissal, citing a fundamental misunderstanding of the vetting process. They clarified that Sir Olly was obligated not to disclose the process leading to the vetting decision to ministers, as the process is independent of government officials.
Keir Starmer faced significant backlash over the appointment of Lord Mandelson as Britain’s Ambassador to the US, contributing to his downfall as Prime Minister. Mandelson was removed from his role as the “Trump whisperer” in September following revelations of his close ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
Reports in April revealed that UKSV did not grant security clearance to Lord Mandelson, but the Foreign Office intervened to appoint him as Ambassador regardless. No10 asserted that they were unaware of the decision to grant Mandelson clearance against UKSV advice until recently.
During a Foreign Affairs Committee session after his dismissal, Sir Olly described Mandelson’s vetting as a borderline case, stating that the risks identified by UKSV could be managed according to the Foreign Office’s Security Department.
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