Overview
- At Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Keir Starmer said Olly Robbins’ testimony showed he did not mislead MPs and argued the ex–Foreign Office chief erred by failing to alert ministers to UK Security Vetting red flags.
- Following Tuesday’s hearing, Robbins described “constant” pressure from No 10 to get Peter Mandelson installed in Washington fast, called their approach to checks dismissive, and said he granted top‑level clearance with mitigations after an oral briefing that UKSV leaned toward denial.
- Robbins told MPs he never saw the formal vetting report and received only a spoken summary, highlighting how UKSV’s Developed Vetting process is tightly held and detailed findings are not routinely shared beyond security officials.
- The government has launched a leak inquiry into how vetting details reached the media, while Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee says it still has not received all vetting documents it was promised to review for national security risks.
- Fallout is widening as some Labour MPs question the sacking, former cabinet secretary Lord Mark Sedwill urges Robbins’ reinstatement, and committees consider calling more witnesses, keeping political pressure high ahead of local elections.