The Foreign Office’s top civil servant will be leaving his post after it emerged the department had overruled a security vetting process to clear Lord Peter Mandelson to become UK ambassador to the US.
Sir Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper have lost confidence in Foreign Office permanent under-secretary Sir Olly Robbins, the Press Association understands.
Security officials initially denied the peer clearance, but Foreign Office officials took the rare step of overruling the recommendation.
The Prime Minister was not aware that the former Labour grandee was granted developed vetting against the advice of UK Security Vetting until earlier this week, the Government has said.
He has instructed officials to establish the facts about why vetting was granted, and the Foreign Office earlier said it is “working urgently” to comply.
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