Former Foreign Office chief Olly Robbins has initiated a judicial review into his dismissal, which he has labeled 'irrational'. Robbins announced on July 13, 2026, that he has asked the courts to review his ousting, which he states could have been avoided if Prime Minister Keir Starmer had apologized and compensated him for the distress and costs incurred by his family. The move, supported by the FDA union representing senior public servants, escalates a legal dispute stemming from the Peter Mandelson vetting scandal.
Robbins was dismissed in the spring of 2026 after Starmer claimed he made a 'serious error of judgment' by not disclosing the outcome of vetting procedures. Mandelson was granted diplomatic service (DV) status in January 2025, under Robbins' purview, despite advice against it from the specialist UK Security Vetting agency. Robbins maintains he was unaware Mandelson had failed the checks and accuses Starmer of misunderstanding the vetting process.
The FDA union stated that Starmer's decision to sack Robbins was a 'mistake' based on a 'grievous misunderstanding of how the National Security Vetting (NSV) system worked and a rash response to a media story'. The union warned that dismissing senior officials without a fair process or a clear understanding of the issue damages the principles of an impartial civil service. Robbins' legal submission argues that the Prime Minister lacked the authority to dismiss him and that he was obligated not to disclose vetting details to ministers, citing privacy protections for individuals undergoing checks. Politicians, he contends, are only entitled to know the final decision.
'I bring this action reluctantly,' Robbins said in a statement. 'It would have been unnecessary if the Prime Minister had simply apologized for his mistake and made amends for the distress and cost it has caused me and my family. Instead, I now have to ask the Courts to determine that the Prime Minister's decisions were unlawful, unreasonable and to quash them.'