Sir Olly Robbins ‘desperately sad’ to be sacked over Mandelson vetting process

The former top official at the Foreign Office has said he is “desperately sad” about being sacked over the failure to disclose Lord Peter Mandelson’s failed security checks and does not “fully understand” why it happened.

Sir Olly Robbins, who was sacked by Sir Keir Starmer last week, said he is “intensely proud” of his former colleagues and wished he “could still be with them”.

The former permanent secretary at the Foreign Office took on the role in January 2025, when Lord Mandelson’s developed vetting (DV) process was already under way.

Sir Olly told MPs on Tuesday there was a “dismissive approach” to Lord Mandelson’s security vetting from No 10.

Asked for his reaction to how he has been treated, he told the Foreign Affairs Committee: “The very short answer is I don’t fully understand the reasons that I’m in the position I am in, but that is for a separate process for me to try to get to the bottom of.

“As a human being, I’m desperately, desperately sad about it.

“I love that job, I love that institution, I was proud to serve this Government and any government that might follow it.

“I hope I was doing it to the best of my ability. I was certainly doing it as hard as I possibly could.

“I had wonderful colleagues who I miss deeply and the issues we were dealing with, and my colleagues are still dealing with, are of profound importance to the success of this Government and the success of the country.

“It’s been the proudest part of my career to lead that institution because of their work, not because of mine.

“I just feel intensely proud of the people I’ve led and I wish them every success, and wish I could still be with them.”

Sir Olly said he was in “unknown territory” about the HR position he is in and “what this means for my family”.

He also told MPs about the media attention he is currently getting, describing how he cannot buy a coffee “without someone following me down the road.”

“It’ll pass,” chairwoman Dame Emily Thornberry replied.

The former top official, who faced MPs the day after celebrating his birthday, joked about having plenty of free time now that he is no longer in the Foreign Office.

“I should say, before I go any further, it’s nice of the committee to keep thanking me for my time. My diary is wide open.”