Robbins Out: Epstein Scandal Hits Foreign Office

0:00On April 17, Sir Ali Robbins has got pushed out as the top civil servant at the foreign office. He approved Peter Mandelson's security clearance for the U.S. Ambassador role, even though Mandelson failed vetting over ties to Jeffrey Epstein's emails. Mandelson got the boot two months back, and now this scandal is blowing up. Earlier this month, during a select committee hearing on November 3rd, Robbins and Cabinet Secretary Sir Chris Wormald faced tough questions about, who knew what? Robbins handled the final call as permanent secretary, weighing risks like conflicts for Mandelson's consultancy firm. Friends of Robbins are fired up, saying he followed the full process and got advice from security services. Colleagues admitted look like the Prime Minister wanted Mandelson in place, leaving Robbins in a tight spot right after taking the job. Critics call him arrogant, but even they say, sacking him feels unfair. The Prime Minister claims he and ministers like David Lamy had no clue about the vetting fail. Yet a letter from foreign secretary, event Cooper and Robbins dodged details,

1:03insisting ministers stay out of it. Chief Secretary Darren Jones acted shocked, that a permanent secretary could override without telling anyone. This mess raises big questions about accountability in number 10, with calls for more inquiries into who really called the shots. As pressure mounts on the government, expect hearings to dig deeper into these security lapses.