Olly Robbins, the former top civil servant at the Foreign Office, has reached a financial settlement with the government following his removal from office in April. The payout, described as a six-figure sum, concludes a period of legal uncertainty after Robbins initiated a high court challenge to seek a judicial review of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s decision to fire him.

Robbins’ dismissal occurred shortly after reports emerged that he had personally intervened to grant security clearance to Peter Mandelson, despite a formal recommendation from UK Security Vetting (UKSV) to deny it. The government’s decision to remove Robbins was framed as a response to this breach of standard vetting protocols. While the government has not provided extensive public commentary on the specifics of the settlement, the payout effectively ends the legal dispute between the former official and the Prime Minister’s office.

There is no public record of the government admitting wrongdoing in the dismissal, nor has Robbins publicly retracted his stance regarding the vetting process. The settlement allows both parties to avoid a potentially lengthy and public judicial review process in the high court. The case has drawn attention to the internal processes governing security clearances for high-profile political figures and the extent of authority held by senior civil servants in overriding security agency recommendations.