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Olly Robbins is taking the government to court over its decision to sack him as permanent secretary at the Foreign Office.

The move has been announced by his union, the FDA, which represents senior civil servants. It is supporting Robbins as he seeks a judicial review of Keir Starmer’s decision to sack him.

double quotation mark The prime minister has acknowledged that his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the United States in December 2024 was a mistake. He should also admit that sacking Olly was a mistake, based on a grievous misunderstanding of how the national security vetting (NSV) system worked and a rash response to a media story. A point of principle is at stake, which affects all FDA members. It damages the core values of a professional and impartial civil service if its most senior officials can be dismissed on a prime ministerial whim, without even the semblance of a fair process or considered understanding of the core issue.

double quotation mark I bring this action reluctantly. It would have been unnecessary if the prime minister had simply apologised for his mistake and made amends for the distress and cost it has caused me and my family. Instead, I now have to ask the courts to determine that the prime minister’s decisions were unlawful, unreasonable and to quash them.

According to the FDA, these are the arguments that Robbins is making in his submission to the court seeking judicial review. Judicial review is a process that allows government decisions to be challenged on the grounds that they were taken in a manner that was irrational or unlawful.

double quotation mark -The prime minister has asserted publicly that it was his decision to dismiss Olly, however the prime minister has no statutory authority to dismiss the head of the diplomatic service;

-Not only was there no fair procedure involved in his dismissal, there was no process at all; and

-Insofar as Olly has been given reasons for his dismissal, they are irrational. Rather than being under a duty to tell ministers about the process leading up to the vetting decision, Olly was under an obligation not to. The process is independent of government ministers, who are only informed of the final outcome. This position was confirmed in a letter of 16 September 2025 that was signed by the foreign secretary, using text both drafted and approved by No 10