Revealed: Mandelson failed vetting but Foreign Office overruled decision

Guardian investigation uncovers decision by UK security officials to deny clearance before Mandelson took up role as US ambassador Top civil servant Olly Robbins forced out over vetting row Officials debate withholding Mandelson vetting documents from parliament Five key questions: Who overruled the decision to deny Mandelson security clearance? The top civil servant in the Foreign Office has been forced out after a Guardian investigation revealed his department overruled a decision to deny Peter Mandelson security vetting clearance. The departure of Sir Olly Robbins follows the disclosure, based on multiple sources, that Mandelson had in January 2025 failed a developed vetting process, a highly confidential background check by security officials. Keir Starmer had by then announced he would be making Mandelson the UK’s chief diplomat in Washington, posing a dilemma for officials at the Foreign Office, who decided to use a rarely used authority to override the recommendation from security officials. News of Robbins’ departure came after Downing Street spent much of Thursday battling demands for the prime minister himself to resign over the affair. No 10 insisted that the prime minis