Sir Olly Robbins has filed a legal challenge against his dismissal as the top civil servant at the Foreign Office, according to the FDA union. Keir Starmer ousted Sir Olly from his position as the chief of the Foreign Office in April following the Peter Mandelson vetting controversy.

The Prime Minister expressed anger after it was revealed that Lord Mandelson was appointed as Britain’s ambassador to the US despite failing his security vetting. Sir Olly, who was the head civil servant at the Foreign Office at the time, overruled advice from UK Security Vetting (UKSV) to enable Lord Mandelson to take up the prestigious role.

Sir Olly stated that he was pressured to expedite Lord Mandelson’s placement and criticized No10 for disregarding the necessity of vetting him. He mentioned to a committee of MPs that vetting Lord Mandelson was not guaranteed before his appointment to Washington.

In his submission to the Court, Sir Olly argued that the Prime Minister lacked the statutory authority to dismiss the Head of the Diplomatic Service and that his dismissal lacked a fair procedure or any process. He also claimed that the reasons provided for his termination were “irrational.”

In response to the Judicial Review request of his dismissal, Sir Olly expressed regret in taking legal action and stated that it would have been unnecessary if the Prime Minister had apologized for the mistake. The FDA criticized the dismissal, stating that it stemmed from a misunderstanding of the vetting process.

Keir Starmer faced significant criticism over Lord Mandelson’s appointment as the UK Ambassador to the US, which contributed to his downfall as Prime Minister. Starmer removed the Labour Veteran from his role as the “Trump whisperer” in September due to new revelations of his association with Jeffrey Epstein.

Reports in April revealed that UKSV had not granted security clearance to Lord Mandelson, but the Foreign Office intervened to appoint him as Ambassador regardless. No10 clarified that neither the Prime Minister nor any Government Minister was aware of the vetting decision until later.

During a Foreign Affairs Committee session after his dismissal, Sir Olly described Lord Mandelson’s vetting as a “borderline case,” where the Foreign Office believed the identified risks could be managed or mitigated.