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Foreign Office chief sacked over Mandelson vetting scandal launches legal challenge over dismissal

Sir Olly Robbins has submitted a legal challenge over his dismissal as the Foreign Office's chief after he was sacked over the Peter Mandelson vetting scandal in April

[Sir Olly Robbins has submitted a legal challenge over his dismissal as the top civil servant at the Foreign Office]

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Sir Olly Robbins has submitted a legal challenge over his dismissal as the top civil servant at the Foreign Office(Image: PRU/AFP via Getty Images)

The former Foreign Office chief fired by Keir Starmer over the Peter Mandelson vetting scandal has submitted a legal challenge over his dismissal

Keir Starmer sacked Sir Olly Robbins as the top civil servant at the Foreign Office in April after it emerged that Lord Mandelson was made Britain's ambassador to the US despite failing his security vetting.

Sir Olly was head of the department when the decision was made to overrule advice from UK Security Vetting (UKSV) so Lord Mandelson could take the plum job.

His submission to the Court claims that the Prime Minister has no statutory authority to dismiss the Head of the Diplomatic Service and that, not only was there "no fair procedure" involved in his dismissal, there was "no process at all". It also says Sir Olly was given irrational reasons for being fired.

[The PM responded with fury after it emerged that Lord Mandelson was made Britain's ambassador to the US despite failing his security vetting]

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The PM responded with fury after it emerged that Lord Mandelson was made Britain's ambassador to the US despite failing his security vetting(Image: Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto/Shutterstock)

The FDA union said that the sacking was based on a grievous misunderstanding of how vetting works. Rather than being under a duty to tell ministers about the process leading up to the vetting decision, Olly was under an obligation not to," the union said.

"The process is independent of government ministers, who are only informed of the final outcome."

Following the request for Judicial Review of his dismissal, Sir Olly said: I bring this action reluctantly. It would have been unnecessary if the Prime Minister had simply apologised for his mistake and made amends for the distress and cost it has caused me and my family.

"Instead, I now have to ask the Courts to determine that the Prime Ministers decisions were unlawful, unreasonable and to quash them.

Mr Starmer has long faced intense pressure over the appointment of Lord Mandelson as Britain's Ambassador to the US, with the error playing a major part in his downfall as PM.

He sacked the Labour Veteran from the "Trump whisperer" role in September after new information revealed the closeness between Lord Mandelson and Jeffrey Epstein. No10 has insisted that Lord Mandelson lied about the depth of his relationship with the late disgraced paedophile.

In April, reports emerged that the UKSV had not given Lord Mandelson security clearance but that the Foreign Office overrode the decision to appoint him as Ambassador. At the time, No10 said the Prime Minister was not aware that Lord Mandelson "was granted Developed Vetting against the advice of UK Security Vetting".

At an evidence session at the Foreign Affairs Committee after his sacking, Sir Olly said he had been under pressure to get Lord Mandelson in post "as quickly as humanly possible" and accused No10 of being "dismissive" of the need to vet Lord Mandelson in the first place. He said it was "not a given" that the so-called Prince of Darkness would be vetted at all before being sent to Washington.

He added that Lord Mandelson's vetting was seen as a "borderline case", telling MPs: "I was briefed that UKSV considered Mandelson a borderline case, and that they were leaning towards recommending that clearance be denied, but that the Foreign Office's Security Department assessed that the risks identified as of highest concern by UKSV could be managed and or mitigated."

Mr Starmer defended sacking Sir Olly in April, telling MPs he did not accept his explanation for clearance being given to Lord Mandelson. "I did ask him, and I did not accept his explanation. That is why I sacked him," he said.

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