Sir Olly Robbins Provides Evidence on Mandelson Vetting
Sir Olly Robbins, the former senior civil servant at the Foreign Office, is currently giving evidence to the foreign affairs committee regarding his involvement in vetting Lord Mandelson for the position of the UK's ambassador to the United States.
This testimony follows Sir Olly's effective dismissal last week after it was revealed that his department had granted Lord Mandelson security clearance for the ambassadorial role in January 2025, despite security officials recommending against it.
Lord Mandelson officially assumed the ambassador role the following month but was dismissed seven months later due to his connections with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Below are the key points from Sir Olly Robbins' evidence to the committee.
No 10 Adopted a 'Dismissive Approach' to Vetting
In a letter to the committee published concurrently with his oral evidence, Sir Olly stated that upon his arrival at the Foreign Office on 20 January, Lord Mandelson's appointment had already been announced and accepted by the United States.
He further noted that Lord Mandelson had already been granted access to the Foreign Office building and had received "highly classified briefing on a case-by-case basis."
According to Sir Olly, these circumstances "resulted in a dismissive approach" to the developed vetting process, which is necessary to obtain security clearance, particularly from Downing Street.
'Constant Pressure' from Downing Street
Sir Olly described a "strong expectation" from Downing Street that Lord Mandelson "needed to be in post and in America as quickly as humanly possible."
He explained that his office was "under constant pressure" regarding the timing of the vetting process completion.
"There was 'never any interest, as far as I can recall, in whether, but only an interest in when,"
he added. Sir Olly also remarked,
"Whilst I think the department felt under pressure, we were proud of the fact we'd not bowed to that pressure."
Mandelson Concerns Did Not Relate to Epstein
In his letter, Sir Olly indicated that he had not reviewed the documentation from UK Security Vetting (UKSV), the government's internal vetting unit, which contained their assessment of Lord Mandelson.
Instead, he received an oral briefing during which he was informed that UKSV regarded Mandelson as a "borderline case" and were "leaning towards recommending that clearance be denied."
He stated that UKSV acknowledged the Foreign Office "may wish to grant clearance, with appropriate risk management."
"The risks did not relate to Jeffrey Epstein,"
he added.
Despite inquiries from Labour MP Emily Thornberry, chair of the committee, Sir Olly declined to disclose whether any concerns raised during the vetting had not already been made public.
Blocking Mandelson Could Have Strained US Relations
Sir Olly said he would have recommended that the government complete Lord Mandelson's vetting before publicly announcing the appointment.
He noted that former US President Joe Biden had approved the appointment near the end of his term.
"I think if the nomination had changed after that point, the incoming administration may well have commented on it publicly and it would, yes, have caused quite an issue in the relationship,"
he added.
for our Politics Essential newsletter to read top political analysis, gain insight from across the UK and stay up to speed with the big moments. It'll be delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
