Fired UK Foreign Office chief Olly Robbins testifies he felt political pressure to approve Peter Mandelson as US ambassador despite security concerns

Olly Robbins, former head of the UK Foreign Office who was fired last week, testified before the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday that there was an 'atmosphere of pressure' from Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office to approve Peter Mandelson's US ambassador appointment quickly. The vetting agency had considered Mandelson a 'borderline case' and was leaning toward recommending against security clearance, but the Foreign Office cleared him anyway. Starmer has blamed Foreign Office officials for withholding the security vetting information, while Robbins's testimony points pressure back toward Starmer's office.