Sir Olly Robbins to Detail Mandelson Vetting Nondisclosure to Parliament Today
Sir Olly Robbins, who served as the Foreign Office's permanent under-secretary from January 2025, will address a parliamentary committee today, offering his defence regarding the Lord Mandelson vetting controversy.
His dismissal last Thursday evening, ordered by the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary, occurred after the Prime Minister discovered he had not been apprised of Lord Mandelson's failure to pass the UK Security Vetting process for the Washington ambassadorial role.
Sir Olly is understood to be dismayed by his termination and the public criticism of his conduct. He is anticipated to argue that his decision not to disclose the vetting outcome was based on his interpretation of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010. He may contend that, with Lord Mandelson's appointment already publicly announced, he was not legally authorised to share the vetting conclusions.
However, the Prime Minister's allies maintain a differing interpretation of the law, arguing that Sir Olly was obliged to inform ministers. Supporters of Sir Keir Starmer also question why Sir Olly maintained his stance even after Lord Mandelson's removal and subsequent inquiries into the appointment process.
Dame Emily Thornberry, chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, has expressed anger over Sir Olly's prior omission of this information during committee questioning specifically on Lord Mandelson's vetting. A crucial point of inquiry will be whether Sir Olly shared his knowledge with any other individuals and the specifics of those communications.
The Prime Minister's government hopes Sir Olly's testimony will reinforce their position that multiple opportunities existed for the information to be conveyed to ministers, which were not taken. Following Sir Olly's appearance, the Commons is scheduled to hold another debate on the matter, initiated by the Conservatives.
