Mandelson scandal is biggest crisis for diplomatic service in decades, says ex-Foreign Office chief

Simon McDonald says Olly Robbins was ‘thrown under a bus’ by the prime minister and the decision feels wrong

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The Peter Mandelson security vetting scandal is the biggest crisis for the diplomatic service in decades, a former Foreign Office chief has said.

Simon McDonald, who was the permanent under-secretary of the government department until 2020, has spoken out in defence of Oliver Robbins, saying the civil servant was “thrown under a bus” by the prime minister, Keir Starmer, when he was dismissed from his role on Thursday.

Robbins was sacked as permanent secretary of the Foreign Office hours after the Guardian revealed that Peter Mandelson failed his security vetting in January 2025, during the process to appoint him as ambassador to the US.