The dismissal of Sir Olly Robbins as permanent under-secretary at the Foreign Office has prompted warnings that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has created a “real chill throughout the civil service.” Sir Olly, who gave evidence to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee on Tuesday, was removed last week amid the controversy over Lord Peter Mandelson’s vetting for the UK ambassador role in Washington.
Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA union for senior civil servants, told BBC Newsnight: “I think the prime minister is losing the ability to work with the civil service.” He added: “Who in the civil service would now think they would be immune from when it is politically expedient to be dismissed?” Penman warned that such a situation “isn’t a place any government wants to be because it doesn’t deliver for the people of the country.”
Sir Keir sought to downplay any rupture on Monday, telling MPs: “We have thousands of civil servants who act with integrity and professionalism every day.” Supporters of the prime minister say Sir Olly’s committee testimony supports the claim that Sir Keir was not informed of certain vetting details or the conclusions briefed to Sir Olly. Sir Olly told MPs he had withheld information to protect the integrity of the vetting system.
Dame Emily Thornberry, the Labour MP who chairs the Foreign Affairs Select Committee, said after the hearing that she had concluded it was right for Sir Olly to have lost his post. At the same time, critics of Sir Olly have questioned his judgment, leaving a contested debate over credibility on both sides.
This is the seventh consecutive day that fallout from the Mandelson episode has troubled the prime minister. The handling of one of Sir Keir’s most politically significant decisions is being publicly dissected in committee, in the Commons and in the press, eclipsing planned announcements and campaign events across the UK.
With Prime Minister’s Questions approaching and further documents about Lord Mandelson’s appointment expected in the coming weeks, the story looks set to continue dominating political attention and testing relations between Number 10 and the civil service.