STORY
Olly Robbins has stepped down as the Foreign Office’s top civil servant after ministers lost confidence in him over the handling of Peter Mandelson’s security vetting for the role of UK ambassador to the United States. The resignation follows reports that Mandelson initially failed a security recommendation, but officials overruled that decision and approved his clearance without ministers being informed at the time.
The row has become one of the most damaging scandals facing Keir Starmer’s Government, with Mandelson already under intense scrutiny over allegations linked to Jeffrey Epstein. Starmer has said it was “unforgivable” that he was not told about the failed vetting recommendation.