Six-figure payout for senior civil servant sacked over Peter Mandelson vetting
Former head of Foreign Office Olly Robbins applied for judicial review after Keir Starmer dismissed him in April Olly Robbins, the former head of the Foreign Office sacked by Keir
By The Guardian
Sir Olly Robbins has reached an out-of-court settlement with the Government after challenging his dismissal as the Foreign Office’s most senior civil servant.
Robbins was removed from his post in April after controversy over the vetting of Peter Mandelson before his appointment as Britain’s ambassador to the United States.
The dispute followed reports that Mandelson had failed a background check, but Foreign Office officials approved his appointment despite concerns raised by UK Security Vetting.
Keir Starmer, who was prime minister at the time, dismissed Robbins after saying he had not known Mandelson had received high-level clearance against the advice of security officials.
Robbins applied for a judicial review of the decision in July. Legal submissions reportedly argued that the reasons given for his dismissal were irrational and that there had been no fair procedure.
The FDA union, which represented Robbins, said the Government had settled the case outside court to rectify the circumstances surrounding his departure from the civil service.
The value of the settlement has not been disclosed, although reports describe it as a six-figure payout.
FDA general secretary Dave Penman said the settlement could bring the judicial review proceedings to an end, but argued that the affair had damaged trust between ministers and civil servants.
The settlement follows wider scrutiny of the decision-making around Mandelson’s appointment. Mandelson was dismissed as ambassador in September 2025 after further disclosures about his past association with Jeffrey Epstein.
The Government said it would not comment further on human resources matters.