Former Foreign Office chief Olly Robbins received six-figure payout after Mandelson vetting dismissal

The British government has paid a six-figure sum to Olly Robbins, the former head of the Foreign Office, after his dismissal over the vetting of Peter Mandelson. The settlement brings an end to court proceedings Robbins had brought against the prime minister.

Robbins was the Foreign Office's top civil servant. He was dismissed in April by Prime Minister Keir Starmer over his role in clearing Mandelson for a senior diplomatic posting, according to The Guardian.

At the time, Downing Street said Robbins had lost the confidence of Starmer and then-Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper over his handling of the case.

At the centre of the dispute was a decision by Robbins to overturn a recommendation from UK Security Vetting, the body that checks people for sensitive roles, that Mandelson should be denied security clearance. Robbins granted the clearance on 29 January 2025, hours after his department received the vetting file.

The vetting body's concerns included Mandelson's associations with senior figures in China, Russia and Israel. His relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted child sex offender, was not among its reasons for recommending against clearance. Mandelson was later dismissed from the diplomatic role over the extent of his links to Epstein.

After his dismissal, Robbins applied to the High Court for a judicial review, a court process that examines whether a public decision was taken lawfully. In his legal submission, he argued that Starmer had no statutory authority to dismiss him as head of the diplomatic service. He also said there had been no fair procedure and no process at all in the dismissal and that he was given irrational reasons.

The Commons foreign affairs select committee later concluded that the dismissal seems to have been taken without full due process and the establishment of the facts.

The settlement ends that legal action. Robbins was assisted by the FDA, the union that represents senior civil servants. Its general secretary is Dave Penman.

The exact amount has not been disclosed. It is believed to be six figures but less than the £860,000 paid to former cabinet secretary Chris Wormald, who was forced out by Starmer after a year in post. Formal documents show the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office initiated discussions to end Robbins' employment and that Robbins signed off on the settlement.