Sir Olly Robbins, who used to run the Foreign Office, is taking the government to court after being dismissed from his job. A union representing senior civil servants announced the legal action.

The union says the government made a serious mistake in how it handled the dismissal. More than that, it says the Prime Minister may not have had the legal right to sack Sir Olly at all. If the court agrees, it could change how powerful prime ministers are when it comes to firing top civil servants across government.

Sir Olly led the government's negotiations with the European Union over Brexit for a decade, making him a familiar name in Westminster. He got the Foreign Office job in early 2025. He was fired after a row broke out over how the security clearance of Lord Mandelson was handled. MPs started asking questions about whether proper rules were followed.

The heart of the disagreement is about what Sir Olly was allowed to tell ministers. The union argues he was under strict rules that stopped him sharing details about how security clearances are decided. When he spoke to MPs, Sir Olly said he had only been told verbally about Lord Mandelson's case — he never saw the written reports. BBC He was told Lord Mandelson was borderline, but could perhaps be cleared if the right precautions were taken.

Sir Olly says he followed the rules. He told MPs that security decisions must "remain absolutely confidential." That's his defence: he was doing what the system required, and he was fired for doing it.

The union has been very clear about what went wrong. It said the dismissal had "no fair procedure involved" and "no process at all." FDA The union first criticised the decision in April and is now pursuing legal action.

Sir Olly sounds unhappy about having to go to court. He said he is fighting the case "reluctantly" and that the whole mess could have been avoided. If the Prime Minister had simply apologised and made things right, he said, there would be no need for legal action. That suggests he cares less about getting his job back and more about being acknowledged as having done nothing wrong.

This case involves two separate questions that usually get mixed up: was Lord Mandelson's clearance handled correctly, and was Sir Olly sacked fairly? The union is trying to keep these apart. It says that whatever happened with the vetting decision, Sir Olly's dismissal didn't follow any proper procedure.

Why this matters beyond Sir Olly is important. Top civil servants work under rules about what ministers can do and what has to stay secret. If the court says the Prime Minister had no right to sack the head of the Foreign Office, it will affect how civil servants and ministers work together everywhere in government. People across Whitehall — the centre of British government — will be watching what happens.

No court date has been set yet, and the government has not said much publicly about the union's claims. Other top civil servants will be following the case closely to understand how much protection confidentiality rules actually give them.