34 resultsfor “Olly Robbins Mandelson scandal”
Olly Robbins, the former top official at the Foreign Office, said No 10 took a “dismissive” attitude to vetting, and Mandelson was given access to the Foreign Office building and to “higher-classification briefings” before
Olly Robbins, the top Foreign Office official sacked by Starmer, [told MPs on Tuesday](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/apr/21/olly-robbins-account-mandelson-vetting-piles-pressure-on-starmer) that No 10 had created an “atmosphere of pressure” that made it impossible to deny clearance for Mandelson
Olly Robbins has seemingly been sacked for not creating a problem for the prime minister. Which is novel. The great lesson from all this is that the Labour government want the civil service to save
scandal is the biggest crisis for the diplomatic service in decades, a former Foreign Office chief has said. Sir Simon McDonald, who was the permanent under-secretary of the government department until 2020, has spoken
Olly.” Then, when she was asked why Robbins would not want the information to be shared, she said: “In the actual meeting, the specific reasons were not discussed.” Little made clear her account was based
Olly Robbins,” he says. “So, if they do turn on him, that might end up being the moment that the PM realises that what people are saying about him is not going to change
scandal: the key questions that remain unanswered The parliamentary inquiry into Peter Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador has heard more than 77,000 words of evidence from five of the most senior officials
scandal. With Starmer aiming to [explain to the Commons](https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/apr/19/starmer-faces-commons-showdown-over-mandelson-vetting-scandal) on Monday afternoon why he did not know the Foreign Office had overruled a decision to refuse Mandelson vetting, some senior government figures
Olly Robbins, who was two weeks into the job heading up the Foreign Office at the time, was effectively sacked by Sir Keir last night. Opposition parties are calling for Sir Keir to go, with
scandal as key figures give evidence to MPs - UK politics live From Good morning. The former US president Lyndon Johnson is credited with saying the most important skill in politics is knowing how to count
scandal, adding that Starmer was a “stubborn guy” who would be unlikely to quit of his own accord. “The moment I would look to is the May elections,” Turner said. “If Labour does very badly
scandal, Keir Starmer has told MPs, as he sought to set out his side of events in a politically crucial statement in parliament. Saying to jeers that he accepted it appeared “incredible” he and other
Robbins did not tell anyone in No 10 about the vetting concerns around Lord Mandelson. That is one thing he confirmed pretty quickly in his appearance before the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee
Olly Robbins. “But what this episode seems to reveal is the really significant, and potentially unchecked, power of senior civil servants and officials.” According to multiple sources, Mandelson was initially denied clearance in late January