Starmer dismisses top official Robbins as Mandelson vetting crisis deepens – POLITICO

LONDON — One of Britain’s most senior civil servants, Olly Robbins, was dismissed late Thursday as Keir Starmer’s government reeled from a deepening crisis over the appointment of its former ambassador to the U.S., Peter Mandelson.

Starmer and his foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, lost confidence in Robbins, the top official in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), a U.K. official familiar with the matter said, after a new report revealed new details of his role in the security vetting for Mandelson.

Second permanent secretary at the FCDO Nick Dyer confirmed in a message to staff Friday that he would take over from Robbins on an interim basis “while we work through this period of change.” He thanked staff for their hard work and said he would “share more about arrangements in the coming days.”