“Olly Robbins was sacked as the top civil servant at the UK Foreign Office.”

Media reportsNews reportApril 19, 2026Read the original

Coverage of the Mandelson vetting row.

Our verdict

True

Sir Olly Robbins was removed as Foreign Office permanent under-secretary in April 2026 over the Mandelson vetting affair.

What we found

Starmer removed Sir Olly Robbins as permanent under-secretary at the Foreign Office on 16 April 2026 after reports that the department had cleared Mandelson despite UK Security Vetting concerns, without telling ministers. Robbins disputed that Mandelson 'failed' vetting but did not dispute that he was dismissed.

The evidence

2 of 2 sources support the claim; none contradict it.

Contradict 0Support 2Background 0

Supports the claim
Robbins was ousted after the Guardian reported the Foreign Office overruled UK Security Vetting on Mandelson. [1]
Supports the claim
Robbins defended his actions after being fired by Starmer. [2]

How we checked

We checked the claim against BreakingNews.ie, ITV News. We reviewed 2 relevant sources.

Sources

[1]ITV News · Top civil servant ousted after Foreign Office overruled Mandelson vetting
[2]BreakingNews.ie · Robbins defends actions in Mandelson case after being fired by Starmer

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