The appointment of Theresa May’s former chief negotiator with the European Union as the most senior civil servant in the Foreign Office (FCDO) by Sir Keir Starmer is being seen as a statement of intent in his determination to reset relations with the EU.
Sir Oliver Robbins was on a shortlist of four to become his new permanent secretary running the civil service in Whitehall, but has ended up with a job in charge of David Lammy’s team of mandarins at the FCDO.
