Government pays out six-figure sum to 'scapegoat' civil servant it sacked over Mandelson vetting fiasco

Sir Olly Robbins, who was removed as the Foreign Office's most senior civil servant by Sir Keir Starmer following the bungled security vetting of Lord Peter Mandelson, has settled with the government out of court after launching a judicial review of his dismissal. His union, the FDA, argued that Starmer's own misjudgement had been blamed on Sir Olly, and the settlement — believed to run to six figures — was reached without the amount being disclosed publicly.

Sir Olly told MPs he never saw the written vetting assessment, only received an oral briefing — yet Starmer sacked him anyway, saying he 'did not accept his explanation.'

Sir Olly said he is 'looking forward to moving on to the next chapter' of his life, as the government declined to comment on the payout.