Another bill for taxpayers left by Starmer as Government reaches settlement with top official sacked for waving through Mandelson vetting

Published: 18:10 BST, 16 October 2026 | Updated: 01:06 BST, 17 October 2026

The Government has reached an out-of-court settlement with the top Whitehall official sacked by Keir Starmer in a row over Peter Mandelson's security vetting.

Olly 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.

His exit came after it emerged he had overruled a recommendation not to grant Lord Mandelson security clearance ahead of him becoming Britain's ambassador to the US.

Sir Keir said it was wrong for Sir Olly not to have told him the outcome of the vetting process and insisted he would not have gone ahead with appointing Lord Mandelson had he known.

But Sir Olly said it was normal not to share the findings of the so-called developed vetting process and described feeling under pressure to clear Lord Mandelson for the role.

He requested a judicial review after being removed from his Foreign Office role by Sir Keir, with the Government now having chosen to settle out of court.

It comes just weeks after it was revealed another former top Whitehall official, Chris Wormald, received a record payout of almost £860,000 when he was forced out as cabinet secretary by Sir Keir in February. 

The FDA union, which represented Sir Olly in the challenge, announced on Friday that the Government had chosen to settle out of court - although no financial details have been disclosed.

Olly 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 Keir Starmer in April this year

Sir Olly's exit from Whitehall came after it was revealed he had overruled a recommendation not to grant Peter Mandelson security clearance

Sir Keir said it was wrong for Sir Olly not to have told him the outcome of the vetting process and insisted he would not have gone ahead with appointing Lord Mandelson had he known

In a statement, Sir Olly said: 'I am grateful for all the support and good wishes from former colleagues, friends and strangers, which have helped me and my family during this difficult time.

'I want to thank the FDA for their assistance in reaching this settlement and I am looking forward to moving on to the next chapter of my life.'

Dave Penman, FDA general secretary, said: 'This settlement may bring an end to the judicial review proceedings, but this whole unprecedented affair has damaged the bond of trust between civil servants and ministers, which is essential to the effective running of Government.

'The scapegoating of Sir Oliver, to mask the misjudgment of the previous prime minister, marked one of the lowest points in the recent history of civil service-ministerial relations – which is quite the feat.

'We urge the Government to clarify quickly the issues raised by this affair over ministerial involvement in the vetting process.'

Lord Mandelson was sacked as US ambassador by Sir Keir in September last year following further revelations about his friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The scandal over his appointment as Britain's top diplomat in Washington DC played a large part in Sir Keir's downfall as PM.

Sir Olly's sacking from the Foreign Office was sparked by disclosures around Lord Mandelson's initial appointment.

In April this year, questions were raised over the vetting of Lord Mandelson after it was reported he had failed a background check, but that officials in the Foreign Office took the rare step of overruling this to clear his appointment anyway.

Sir Keir, who was prime minister at the time, then sacked Sir Olly, saying he had not been aware the former Labour grandee was granted high-level clearance against the advice of UK Security Vetting.

Sir Olly suggested there had been a 'dismissive approach' to developed vetting from Downing Street, but insisted it was completed to the normal standard 'despite this atmosphere of pressure'.

Downing Street rejected this, saying there is a distinction between 'the idea of pressure' and 'being kept informed about the process and the progress of the appointment'.

A Government spokesperson said: 'Sir Oliver Robbins KCMG CB has had a distinguished public service career over three decades, including most recently as permanent under-secretary at FCDO, as well as previously as the prime minister's Europe adviser, second permanent secretary at the Home Office and as deputy national security adviser.

'The Government has reached a settlement with Sir Oliver following his dismissal. We will not be commenting further on HR matters.'