world
Former civil servant seeks court review of dismissal over ambassador vetting
Sir Olly Robbins has filed for a judicial review of his dismissal as permanent under-secretary of the FCDO. He argues the prime minister lacked authority and followed an unfair process. The union representing him called the decision a misunderstanding of security procedures.
Jul 13, 5:48 AM·1m read1 source
IN
thequint.comAudio version
Tap play to generate a narrated version.
Developing·Limited corroboration so far. This page will refresh as more sources emerge.
A former top Foreign Office civil servant has asked a court to review his dismissal after the prime minister attributed responsibility for an ambassador appointment issue to him. Sir Olly Robbins was removed from his post as permanent under-secretary of the FCDO.
Legal challenge In a statement released Monday, the FDA union confirmed that Robbins requested a judicial review of the dismissal. Robbins said the action was brought reluctantly and would have been unnecessary if the prime minister had apologized and addressed costs incurred by him and his family.
Robbins argued in court filings that no fair procedure was followed, that the reasons given were irrational, and that the prime minister has no statutory authority to dismiss the head of the diplomatic service. The union stated that the dismissal was based on a misunderstanding of how the National Security Vetting system worked and described the response as rash.
It called on the prime minister to acknowledge the decision as a mistake. More follows on this breaking news story.
