Sir Olly Robbins Exposes Downing Street Pressure in Lord Mandelson US Ambassador Vetting

Sir Olly Robbins, previously the top civil servant at the Foreign Office, has provided evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee regarding his role in the vetting of Lord Mandelson for the position of UK ambassador to the US.

Robbins, who was removed from his post last week, testified that his department granted security clearance for Lord Mandelson in January 2025. This decision contradicted the recommendations of security officials who had vetted the peer. Lord Mandelson commenced his ambassadorship the following month but was subsequently dismissed seven months later due to his connections with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Downing Street Interference Alleged

In a letter released during his oral testimony, Sir Olly stated that upon his arrival at the Foreign Office on 20 January, Lord Mandelson's appointment had already been publicly announced and accepted by the US. He further noted that Lord Mandelson had already been given access to the Foreign Office building and received "highly classified briefing on a case-by-case basis."

These circumstances, Sir Olly asserted, "resulted in a dismissive approach" from Downing Street towards the essential developed vetting process required for security clearance. He described a "strong expectation" from Downing Street that Lord Mandelson "needed to be in post and in America as quickly as humanly possible," adding that his office was "under constant pressure" regarding the completion of vetting. "There was never any interest, as far as I can recall, in whether, but only an interest in when," he stated.

Vetting Recommendations Ignored

Sir Olly confirmed he did not see the official documentation from UK Security Vetting (UKSV), the government's in-house vetting unit, regarding their assessment of Lord Mandelson. Instead, he received an oral briefing, where he was informed that UKSV considered Mandelson a "borderline case" and was "leaning towards recommending that clearance be denied."

He noted that UKSV acknowledged the Foreign Office "may wish to grant clearance, with appropriate risk management," but critically added, "The risks did not relate to Jeffrey Epstein." Sir Olly declined to disclose whether anything was flagged during the vetting process that remains undisclosed to the public.

He concluded that he would have advised the government to conduct Lord Mandelson's vetting before announcing the appointment, citing the potential for diplomatic issues with the US if the nomination had been rescinded after former US President Joe Biden had agreed to it.