(Thu 16 Apr 2026 19.16 CEST)

In September, in a letter co-signed with foreign secretary Yvette Cooper, Robbins told MPs that “conducted to the usual standard set for developed vetting.

The Guardian understands that Robbins was told he had to resign after Starmer and Cooper lost confidence in the civil servant.

Mandelson’s failure to secure vetting approval has not previously been publicly revealed, despite intense scrutiny over his appointment and the release by the government of 147 pages of documents supposed to shed light on the case.