Hansard says Starmer made the decision to appoint Mandelson on 18 December 2024 and announced it on 20 December 2024. The Robbins appointment notice is from 8 January 2025. So Robbins was not FCDO PUS when Mandelson was appointed/announced.
The basic chronology is real. Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador was announced on 20 December 2024. Robbins’ appointment as FCDO Permanent Under-Secretary was announced on 8 January 2025, and FCDO records list him as appointed from 20 January 2025. So, he was not responsible for the original 20 December announcement itself [1].
But that does not mean he had no later responsibility. The Commons record says the vetting process ran from 23 December 2024 to 28 January 2025, UKSV recommended denying Mandelson developed vetting on 28 January, and FCDO officials granted it on 29 January. Starmer’s argument in Hansard was not “Robbins caused the original appointment announcement”; it was that Robbins should have shared the later vetting problem with ministers before Mandelson took up post, and again afterwards. In fact, Hansard contains almost exactly the point everyone is making: one MP said Robbins was appointed after the Mandelson announcement, and Starmer replied that Robbins still should have told him before Mandelson took up the job and at later points too [2].
On the second claim that Mandelson was appointed by ministers rather than officials is broadly consistent with the official record. Robbins told the Foreign Affairs Committee that heads of mission can be appointed directly by ministers and that Mandelson’s appointment fell into that category; Sir Chris Wormald also described it as a direct appointment by ministers. So that part is not some hidden revelation. The real dispute is over who handled the subsequent vetting information and who told Ministers what, and when [3].
So my take is: the posts are not wholly made up, but they are selective and argumentative. They are right that Robbins did not make the original December appointment announcement. They are misleading if they imply that this alone settles whether he bore any responsibility later, because the official case against him is tied to the January vetting decision and later disclosures to ministers and Parliament. The extra stuff in the second post about a “love affair” is just inflammatory speculation, not evidence.
Hansard, Commons, 20 April 2026, Security Vetting, PM statement, lines 54–55.
He also repeats the same basic point later in the exchange: at line 443 the Prime Minister stated: “It was an error of judgment, and that is why I have apologised to the victims of Epstein.” For reference: Crime Agency Professional Standards IX.8.26; CCG0000122359; Action Fraud NFRC241207046189; SDR-026-0161; ICO IC-461437-H0W6; PHSO C-2058682 and C-2195214; Met Police FOIA 47533; LGSCO FOI2025/08198; IBAC CASE-20246844; HMCTS 79534040; PALS 2602-0072; NIC-803189-J4G8C; Clinton Library FOIA 2025-1058-F.
Having looked at Hansard, the PM was making two different claims, and that is the key to the chronology. He said the UKSV recommendation to deny Mandelson developed vetting should have been shared with him before Mandelson took up the post, but he also said he only discovered last Tuesday evening that the clearance had been granted against that recommendation. Separately, he said that on 10 September 2025, after Bloomberg reported fresh details, it became clear to him that Mandelson’s earlier answers to No.10’s due-diligence questions were not truthful, and that is why he sacked him. Those are not the same thing [4].
Olly Robbins, the “not in employment” point does not work for September 2025. GOV.UK says Robbins was appointed Permanent Under-Secretary at the FCDO in January 2025 and served there from January 2025 to April 2026. The PM’s statement also explicitly refers to Robbins as “the then Permanent Secretary of the Foreign Office” on 16 September 2025, and the Foreign Affairs Committee letter from that date is jointly signed by Yvette Cooper and Oliver Robbins [5]. and records that Sir Philip Barton departed 17 January 2025 [6].
Where your timing point does land is narrower: Robbins was not the FCDO Permanent Secretary when Mandelson’s appointment was publicly announced on 20 December 2024, because Robbins was only appointed in January 2025. So he cannot sensibly be blamed for the original December announcement itself. But he was in post for the January 2025 vetting/clearance stage and for the September 2025 committee statement/review stage, which is why the PM is targeting him over those later stages instead.
So, the clean reading of Hansard is: no contradiction on September 2025 employment, but there is a distinction between responsibility for the December 2024 appointment announcement and responsibility for the later vetting and disclosure decisions.
- PM says he only found out on 14 April 2026: page 19, lines 1571–1581 — “Last Tuesday evening, 14 April, I found out for the first time…” that on 29 January 2025 FCDO officials granted DV clearance against the UKSV recommendation [7].
- PM says the recommendation should have been shared before Mandelson took up post: page 19 to 20, lines 1664–1670 — “the recommendation… could and should have been shared with me before he took up his post” and “I would not have gone ahead with the appointment.” [7].
- PM then shifts to September 2025: page 20, lines 1671–1678 — he says that on 10 September 2025, after Bloomberg reported fresh details, it became clear to him that Mandelson’s answers in the due-diligence exercise “were not truthful”, and he sacked him [7].
- PM says Robbins and the Foreign Secretary signed a September 2025 statement: page 20, lines 1711–1719 — on 16 September 2025, the Foreign Secretary and “the then permanent secretary of the Foreign Office, Sir Olly Robbins” gave a signed statement to the Foreign Affairs Committee saying DV clearance had been granted before Mandelson took up post [7].
- PM says they should have been told in September 2025 as well: page 20, lines 1741–1748 — he says he does not accept that the Cabinet Secretary could not have been told in September 2025 during his review, and does not accept that the Foreign Secretary could not have been told when making statements to the Committee [7].
- Opposition puts the “misled the House” point directly: page 20, lines 1789–1793 — “Earlier today, Downing Street admitted that the Prime Minister inadvertently misled the House… under the ministerial code, he has a duty to correct the record at the earliest opportunity.” [7].
On the employment point, the official record shows Robbins was announced as the new FCDO Permanent Under-Secretary on 8 January 2025, and another FCDO document says he was in post from 20 January 2025. So he was in office in September 2025, but he was not the FCDO Permanent Secretary when Mandelson’s appointment was announced on 20 December 2024 [8].
So, the tighter argument is not really “Robbins wasn’t employed in September 2025” as FCDO Permanent Under-Secretary— Hansard and GOV.UK cut against that. The sharper criticism is that the PM’s statement blends two different moments:
(1) September 2025, when he says he realised Mandelson’s due-diligence answers were untruthful, and
(2) 14 April 2026, when he says he first learned UKSV had recommended denying DV clearance. Hansard shows both claims sitting in the same statement.
And yes—if you mean Hansard, this issue is there.
[3] https://committees.parliament.uk/oralevidence/16673/pdf/
Here are the main highlights from the transcript:
- Robbins says Mandelson’s appointment was not clearly framed as “subject to vetting” at the time of announcement, and that there was initially a live debate over whether he needed to be vetted at all. He says the FCDO ultimately “put its foot down” and insisted on vetting.
- He describes sustained pressure from No. 10 during January, saying his office and the Foreign Secretary’s office were under “constant pressure” and “constant chasing,” with very frequent calls from No. 10’s private office focused on when the process would be completed.
- He does not identify who in No. 10 was behind that pressure. He says the pressure came through No. 10 private office, but refuses to name officials and says he does not know who was behind them pushing.
- Robbins says nobody from No. 10 contacted him directly by phone, WhatsApp, or message. He portrays the pressure as indirect—office to office—rather than personal.
- On the vetting decision itself, he says he never saw the underlying UKSV document. Instead, he received an oral briefing and says he was told Mandelson was a “borderline case” and that UKSV were “leaning towards recommending against,” not that the outcome was definitively denial.
- The committee pushes back hard on that point, noting their understanding that the UKSV recommendation was actually a clear denial, with the “red box” ticked. Robbins sticks to his account that what reached him was a less definitive presentation and says FCDO departments treat such UKSV outputs as recommendations to be assessed and managed, not final decisions.
- He says the Foreign Office granted clearance with mitigations after discussing how the risks could be managed. He also says he was told the risks did not relate to Mandelson’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.
- A big theme is record-keeping: the chair repeatedly suggests there should have been clearer notes showing the pressure and the decision-making trail. Robbins replies that the decision was recorded, but argues that detailed discussion of vetting issues should not have been widely written down or shared outside the secure vetting process.
- Robbins also says, looking back, the safer course would have been to obtain security clearance before announcing the appointment. He adds that if approval had later been denied after agrément had already been obtained from Washington, it could have damaged UK-US relations.
- The overall clash in the hearing is this: Robbins accepts there was real pressure from No. 10, but insists the FCDO still followed proper process and did not bow to improper pressure when it made the final clearance decision.
Core timeline
- 18 Dec 2024 — Starmer decided to appoint Mandelson. This is the decision date your article identifies from Hansard. (thestealingofemily.co.uk)
- 20 Dec 2024 — The appointment was publicly announced. (thestealingofemily.co.uk)
- 23 Dec 2024 — Vetting began. (thestealingofemily.co.uk)
- Early Jan 2025 — Robbins took over, but by then the transcript says it was “basically a done deal,” with no “subject to vetting” wording, the King having signed off, and letters already sent.
- 8 Jan 2025 — Robbins’ appointment as FCDO Permanent Under-Secretary was announced. (thestealingofemily.co.uk)
- 20 Jan 2025 — FCDO records list Robbins as in post. (thestealingofemily.co.uk)
- 28 Jan 2025 — UKSV recommended denial / “lent towards denial,” according to both your article summary and the uploaded transcript.
- 29 Jan 2025 — FCDO officials granted the clearance anyway. (thestealingofemily.co.uk)
- 10 Sep 2025 — The PM later said fresh Bloomberg reporting showed Mandelson’s earlier due-diligence answers were not truthful, which he said was why Mandelson was sacked. (thestealingofemily.co.uk)
- 16 Sep 2025 — The PM said the Foreign Secretary and Robbins signed a statement to the Foreign Affairs Committee saying DV clearance had been granted before Mandelson took up post. (thestealingofemily.co.uk)
- 14 Apr 2026 — The PM said this was the first time he learned FCDO officials had granted DV clearance against the UKSV recommendation. (thestealingofemily.co.uk)
- 20 Apr 2026 — Commons/Hansard clash over responsibility and vetting. (thestealingofemily.co.uk)
- 21 Apr 2026 — Your article was published. (thestealingofemily.co.uk)
Clean takeaway
Your page’s core argument is:
- Robbins was not in post for the original 20 December 2024 announcement, so he cannot sensibly be blamed for that initial announcement.
- But he was in post for the January 2025 vetting/clearance stage and the September 2025 committee statement stage, which is why later responsibility is still being argued.
- Starmer owns the original decision and December announcement.
- Robbins was not in post for that original announcement.
- Robbins was in post for the January clearance stage and later committee/disclosure issues. The transcript’s main bombshell is the claim of relentless Number 10 pressure to get the approval through.
- FEDERAL ADMINISTRATIVE APPEAL AND FORENSIC STATEMENT OF FACTS
- Mandelson’s Appointment: Key Dates and Responsibilities Explained
- For FMB unit: [EXTERNAL] FOIA Appeal / Request for Clarification – Epstein Records (EFTA01656139–41)
- Emily’s Case: Legal Oversights and Perjury Concerns
- The question everyone is asking
thestealingofemily.co.uk 
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