The former Brexit negotiator Oliver Robbins has been appointed as the UK Foreign Office’s most senior civil servant, taking over from Sir Philip Barton.
Robbins, who was on the shortlist last year to take over as cabinet secretary but failed to get the civil service’s top job, was believed to be David Lammy’s favoured candidate for the role of permanent undersecretary in the Foreign Office (FCDO).
Although Robbins left the civil service in 2019, he has years of experience in international affairs and national security, which will help him navigate a complex global landscape, with the return of Donald Trump to the White House and conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Confirming the appointment, Lammy said: “I have set out from day one that I want to rewire the FCDO to act as the international delivery arm of this government’s missions, as well as devising our broader international strategy. Olly Robbins is exactly the person to help me deliver this and I am delighted to welcome him into the FCDO.
“His extensive experience of economic and security issues, gained across a range of Whitehall departments, will stand us in good stead as we reorient the FCDO to focus on growth and migration, while continuing to double down on national security.”
A Whitehall insider said: “Olly has a lot of experience – from Europe, to national security and economic security. He is one of the few people who will know how good the FCDO can be – and he will get it back to that.”
Barton announced in November he would be standing down after five years in the role, having served five foreign secretaries and overseen the political transition to Labour.
MPs strongly criticised Barton in 2022 for his handling of the chaotic withdrawal of UK staff after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban. He oversaw the merger of the Foreign Office with the international development department in 2020.
Robbins, who was recently made a partner at Hakluyt, a consultancy founded by ex-MI6 intelligence officers, had not previously been linked to the job.
He was thought to be the preferred choice of Sue Gray, Starmer’s former chief of staff, for the role of cabinet secretary. However, some in No 10 were keen for someone with less Brexit-related baggage.
After the announcement was confirmed, Robbins said: “I’ve seen our extraordinary diplomatic and development capabilities first-hand from Washington DC to Mogadishu, Dublin to Sana’a and Abuja to New Delhi.
“After five years out of the civil service I return believing more strongly than ever in the value of those capabilities and the public service principles that underpin them, while convinced that maintaining the UK’s lead depends critically on understanding and co-opting the pace of change evident in the UK and around the world.”
Robbins joined the civil service as a fast-streamer in 1996, working for 10 years in the Treasury before moving to No 10 as the principal private secretary for Tony Blair and then Gordon Brown.
In July 2010 he was appointed deputy national security adviser, and in 2013 was involved with the government’s attempts to intercept files containing documents leaked by the former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden.
In 2014, Robbins was appointed head of civil service reform, before moving to the Home Office to become the second most senior civil servant in that department, with responsibility for borders and immigration.
He was appointed the head of the European and Global Issues Secretariat in July 2016, advising Theresa May on the EU and Britain’s exit from the bloc. His role in negotiating a Brexit deal led to some Conservative MPs blaming him for an anti-Brexit “establishment plot”.
