Official sacked over Peter Mandelson vetting to face MP grilling

Official sacked over Peter Mandelson vetting to face MP grillingSir Olly Robbins will be grilled by the Foreign Affairs Committee over why the ex-US ambassador Peter Mandelson received the clearance, despite vetting concernsCommentsNewsAlexander Brown Assistant Political Editor16:41, 18 Apr 2026Updated 16:50, 18 Apr 2026View 2 ImagesOlly Robbins will face MPs on Tuesday(Image: REUTERS)The chief Foreign Office official sacked over the decision to grant Peter Mandelson security clearance is expected to face questions from MPs on Tuesday.‌Sir Olly Robbins will be grilled by the Foreign Affairs Committee over why the ex-US ambassador received the clearance, despite vetting concerns.‌Sir Olly was the top civil servant at the Foreign Office when the decision was made to overrule advice from UK Security Vetting so he could take the plum job.‌READ MORE: Foreign Office chief Olly Robbins SACKED by Keir Starmer over Mandelson vetting scandalREAD MORE: Starmer orders Foreign Office to explain after overruling Mandelson vettingView 2 ImagesOlly Robins was sacked over the Peter Mandelson appointment(Image: Jordan Pettitt/PA Wire)No10 has insisted that Keir Starmer was not informed that the Labour grandee was initially denied clearance. The PM ordered an urgent probe into why Lord Mandelson's vetting was approved as he faced questions over whether he misled MPs and Parliament when he said the rules had been followed. The planned appearance before MPs will be just a day after the PM is due to appear in the Commons to answer questions about the row.Article continues belowIt comes as a former Whitehall mandarin claimed Sir Olly was "thrown under the bus" in the sacking. Speaking to the BBC, Lord Simon McDonald, ex-permanent secretary in the Foreign Office, said: “This story broke on Thursday morning in a piece in The Guardian – within the news cycle Olly Robbins had been required to resign. This shows to me that Number 10 wanted a scalp and they wanted it quickly and...