Olly Robbins Fired Over Mandelson Ambassador Mess

0:00On April 18, Sir Olly Robbins, the top foreign office civil servant, got sacked this week over a mess with Peter Mandelson's U.S. Ambassador pick. Appointed by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, back in January 2025, Olly overruled a failed security vetting for Mandelson and didn't. Loop in Downing Street right away, the news blew up after the Guardian reported it, leading to his firing on Thursday night. Just two weeks into the job, Olly had to handle the call on Mandelson, whose appointment Starmer had already announced publicly before vetting even started. Downing Street claims they only learned about the vetting fail two days before the story broke, but Olly insists he stuck to protocol by waving it. Through without telling number 10, allies are rallying behind Olly, calling the sacking unfair and rushed just to grab headlines. Former foreign office boss, Lord McDonald, slammed Starmer for not giving him a fair shot to explain. Tory leader, Kimmy Botanock, jumped in too, blasting the PM as weak and incompetent amid the growing crisis.

1:03Now Olly set to face a tough grilling from MPs on the Foreign Affairs Committee this Tuesday, where they'll dig into who knew what and when, including roles by Dave and Lamy and the vet Cooper. Starmer plans a full statement in the comments tomorrow to clear the air. This showdown could expose cracks in the PM's team and test his grip on power with every word under the microscope.