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Sir Olly Robbins, who was sacked as head of the Foreign Office last week, will reportedly ‘not hold back’ in his defence when he gives evidence on Tuesday over Mandelson’s appointment
Athena Stavrou, Nicole Wootton-Cane, Kate Devlin & David MaddoxTuesday 21 April 2026 02:00 BST- Bookmark
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Close popoverStarmer: 'I should not have appointed Mandelson'
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Sir Keir Starmer is bracing for another day under scrutiny as former top civil servant Sir Olly Robbins prepares to answer MPs questions on the appointment of Lord Peter Mandelson as US ambassador.
Sir Olly was sacked from his post as head of the Foreign Office last week, with the prime minister blaming him for deliberately keeping him in the dark over Lord Mandelson’s failure to pass security vetting check.
Sir Keir told the Commons on Monday that he would not have appointed Lord Mandelson if he had known the peer had failed the checks and insisted there was no pressure from No 10 to push through the high-profile appointment.
However, on Tuesday morning, Sir Olly will give MPs his version of events when he appears in front of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
The Times reports that he is expected to reveal he did not see the formal recommendation by the UK Security Vetting body that Mandelson should not be given clearance, and that there was pressure to make the appointment. A Whitehall source also told the newspaper that Sir Olly will “not hold back” in defence of his actions.
Also on Tuesday, the prime minister will face further scrutiny during an emergency debate in the Commons on the scandal after a request submitted by Tory party leader Kemi Badenoch was approved.
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Key Points
- Starmer: I should not have appointed Mandelson
- 'It beggars belief' I wasn't told of vetting failure, says PM
- Analysis: Why The Independent’s evidence from last September is a problem for Starmer
- Documents show Starmer was advised Mandelson should be vetted before appointment
- Analysis: Starmer will survive the Mandelson vetting scandal - but not for long
- Emergency debate on Mandelson appointment will take place on Tuesday
Who is Olly Robbins? Meet the former top civil servant to give evidence after being sacked by Starmer over Mandelson vetting scandal
Sir Olly Robbins is set to answer questions from MPs on Tuesday over allegations he failed to inform Sir Keir Starmer that Lord Peter Mandelson had failed his security vetting.
The former mandarin was sacked from his role in the Foreign Office last week following revelations that the department overruled security vetting for Lord Peter Mandelson's appointment as UK ambassador to the US.
But who is he, and what can we expect from his evidence?
You can read more below:
Who is Olly Robbins? The man sacked over Mandelson vetting scandal
The 50-year-old, who has served three prime ministers at Number 10, will face MPs on the foreign affairs committee on Tuesday to give his account on the scandalNicole Wootton-Cane21 April 2026 02:00Farage’s claim that Reform’s plan to deport refugees will save UK billions ‘not remotely credible’
Away from the scandal surrounding Lord Peter Mandelson’s appointment, experts have blasted Reform UK’s immigration numbers as “not remotely credible”.
The party has vowed to review every successful asylum in the past five years and remove anyone found to have entered the country on a small boat or overstayed their visa, under its plans for an ICE-style deportation agency.
It estimates that 400,000 people would be affected, with the majority deported, saving £14.3bn over the next five-year parliament and £137bn overall.
But But Jonathan Portes, economics professor at King’s College London and the former chief economist at the Cabinet Office, doesn’t agree.
You can read Kate Devlin’s full report below:
Farage’s claim Reform’s migrant policy will save billions ‘not remotely credible’
Refugee Council says reassessing hundreds of thousands of asylum decisions was ‘not a serious or workable plan’Nicole Wootton-Cane21 April 2026 01:00Recap: Two MPs ejected from Commons for accusing Starmer of ‘lying’ over Mandelson appointment
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson and Your Party’s Zarah Sultana were both ejected from the House of Commons on Monday after accusing Sir Keir Starmer of lying.
The accusations came during a statement on Lord Peter Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador.
Ashfield MP Mr Anderson was ordered to leave by the Commons Speaker after asserting Sir Keir had “been lying” throughout the scandal, and complied.
Later, Ms Sultana initially refused the Speaker's offer to depart after branding Sir Keir a “bare-faced liar”. Her defiance led to her being “named” by the Commons Speaker, a procedure that can lead to suspension.
House of Commons rules prohibit MPs from accusing one another of lying or deliberately misleading.
You can read more below:
Two MPs ejected from Commons for accusing Starmer of ‘lying’ over Mandelson
Lee Anderson and Zarah Sultana were both ordered to leave the chamber by Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay HoyleNicole Wootton-Cane21 April 2026 00:00Newsnight asks: Did PM not check whether Mandelson concerns were right?
On BBC Newsnight on Monday, Cabinet Office Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds was presented with The Independent’s front page story from last September, reporting on concerns Peter Mandelson had been appointed despite not clearing vetting.
Victoria Derbyshire asked the minister whether, at any stage, Keir Starmer had asked whether it was true that Lord Mandelson had failed the process.
She asked: “Did the prime minister not ask the Foreign Office: ‘Is it true Lord Mandelson failed security vetting?’”
Mr Thomas-Symonds failed to answer the specific question, but said “Number 10 has been asking those questions.”
James Reynolds20 April 2026 23:43Final hour to register to vote in local elections
You have just one hour left to register to vote in local elections across England, Scotland, and Wales in May.
The polls will elect members to the Scottish Parliament and the Senedd in Wales. In England, a substantial 5,013 council seats are contested across 136 local authorities, alongside elections for six local mayors.
This marks England's largest local election cycle in three years, complementing the 2021 parliamentary elections in Scotland and Wales.
Applications can be submitted online at gov.uk/registertovote.
Nicole Wootton-Cane20 April 2026 23:00ISC chairman urges government to 'expedite' Mandelson disclosures
The Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) chairman has urged the government to “expedite” the disclosure of information related to the Foreign Office’s handling of Lord Mandelson’s vetting.
Labour peer Lord Beamish said: “We’ve now got the vetting documentation to consider but what about the decision-making process within the Foreign Office to reject the recommendation of the vetting, or the failure to vet, Peter Mandelson?
“Again, I’ve been told by the Cabinet Office nothing exists.
“Well, can I stress to (Lords Leader Baroness Smith of Basildon) that if it does exist, could she somehow expedite that information to ensure it gets to the ISC as quickly as possible?”
In her response, Lady Smith said: “It may be that there are documents that weren’t available in the first tranche but they should be available in the second or later, because it’s been very clear to everybody – I think the prime minister (Sir Keir Starmer) was extremely clear on this today – that all information should be available, and the humble address should be complied with in full.”
Nicole Wootton-Cane20 April 2026 22:30Committee told documemnts about Mandelson's vetting 'didn't exist'
Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) was told documents about Lord Peter Mandelson’s vetting “didn’t exist”, its chairman has said.
The ISC is tasked with looking at potentially sensitive documents related to Lord Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador to the US, while the government publishes less sensitive documents.
Lord Beamish said: “In February of this year, we asked the Cabinet Office to prioritise all the documentation relating to the appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States.
“When we received that information, there was no documentation concerning his vetting. We raised this with the Cabinet Office, only to be told that it didn’t exist.
“The Guardian on Thursday last week indicated that the document did exist. We’ve now received that and will be considering it this week at one of our meetings.”
Nicole Wootton-Cane20 April 2026 22:00Sketch: Keir Starmer is the man who knew too little… which is one thing we can be sure of
Keir Starmer is the man who knew too little… which is one thing we can be sure of
After the prime minister’s Commons statement outlining precisely what he didn’t know about Peter Mandelson’s vetting failure, is anyone really any the wiser, asks Chris BlackhurstNicole Wootton-Cane20 April 2026 21:30Recap: Starmer faces 'one of the worst crises in relations between ministers and mandarins'
The prime minister is facing on of the “worst crises in relations between ministers and mandarins of modern times”, a former cabinet secretary has said.
Mandarins is a term used for high-ranking senior civil servants who help ministers to shape policy.
Gus O’Donnell said that the dismissal of Sir Olly Robbins, the former Foreign Office head, risks having a “serious and sustained chilling effect” on serving civil servants.
Sir Olly was sacked from his role after it emerged he had not informed Sir Keir Starmer that Lord Peter Mandelson had failed his vetting for his role as US ambassador.
Mr O’Donnell wrote in The Times that Sir Keir and his new cabinet secretary Dame Antonia Romeo must ensure that rebuilding the relationship with civil service heads is “one of their very top priorities”.
Nicole Wootton-Cane20 April 2026 21:00Watch: Starmer says it “beggars belief” he wasn’t told about latest Mandelson revelations
Starmer says it “beggars belief” he wasn’t told about latest Mandelson revelationsNicole Wootton-Cane20 April 2026 20:30Newer1 / 6OlderMore about
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