Key evidence from sacked official at heart of Mandelson vetting row

Sir Olly Robbins has defended his actions amid a row over the vetting of the former US ambassador.

Top UK Official Says He Felt Pressure to Approve Mandelson - Bloomberg

Top UK Official Says He Felt Pressure to Approve Mandelson  Bloomberg

Mood sours among Starmer allies over Mandelson scandal

UK prime minister is in serious political trouble as saga over former US ambassador drags on

The Guardian view on Starmer and Mandelson: when process follows power | Editorial

Olly Robbins exposed a deeper failure: when the prime minister’s decision came first, security vetting was left to catch up after the fact It was a classic Whitehall performance: understated and explosive. Sir Olly Robbins did not bluster in front of MPs. The sacked Foreign Office chief calmly stuck to the language of process. He admitted clearing Peter Mandelson to be US ambassador despite UK Security Vetting (UKSV) – in his own words – “leaning against” approval. But the context was key: Do...

By Editorial

UK: No 10 had "dismissive attitude" to Mandelson's vetting

A former senior British Foreign Office official says he was under “constant pressure” from the Prime Minister’s office to speed up Peter Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador to the US, escalating a political row that is now threatening Keir Starmer’s leadership. Olly Robbins, the department’s most senior official until his dismissal last week, told a parliamentary committee that Number 10 showed a “dismissive attitude” toward security vetting for the appointment. It follows reports that inde...

By FRANCE24

The buck stops on Keir Starmer’s desk for the mistake of appointing Mandelson

Editorial: Olly Robbins is justifiably aggrieved at being removed for doing what the prime minister put pressure on him to do – but in the end, this may well harm the sacker more than the sackee

By Editorial

Who’s afraid of Olly Robbins?

The former permanent secretary's dedication to proper process is surely breaking Keir Starmer's heart

By Will Dunn

Downing Street exerted pressure to approve Mandelson’s appointment, sacked official tells MPs

Downing Street applied constant pressure on civil servants to approve the appointment of Peter Mandelson as UK envoy to Washington and seemed to brush off security concerns, a sacked official told MPs Tuesday. Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office had a “dismissive attitude” towards the security vetting for its US envoy pick, said Olly Robbins, the foreign ministry’s most senior official before being fired last week. He was appearing at a watchdog parliamentary committee, as Starmer remained m...

By none@none.com (AFP)

New testimony raises pressure on Starmer over choice of envoy to US

A former top foreign ministry official said on Tuesday he had faced “constant pressure” from Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office to speed up the appointment of his pick as the ambassador to the U.S., deepening a row that threatens the British leader. A war of words over who should ultimately take the blame for appointing […]

Olly Robbins testifies that No 10 pushed for Mandelson ap... - The Observer

Olly Robbins testifies that No 10 pushed for Mandelson ap...  The Observer

Starmer still under pressure as sacked civil servant defends actions over Mandelson appointment

Olly Robbins told the UK foreign affairs committee there was a “dismissive approach” to Peter Mandelson’s security vetting from Starmer’s No 10.

What does the Mandelson row mean for Starmer?

PM argues that Foreign Office didn’t inform No. 10 of concerns over peer’s security vetting, but his lack of leadership and ‘incurious’ nature put credibility on the line

By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK