Just when you thought the Whitehall clown show couldn't get any more ridiculous, the deep state’s favorite high-flyer is preparing to make a triumphant return. Olly Robbins, the former Foreign Office chief who was booted out the door less than three months ago, is already in "early exploratory talks" to become the National Security Adviser. Yes, you read that correctly: the man who got sacked for overriding security clearance warnings is being lined up to run the entire country’s national security operation under Andy Burnham's prospective team.

To understand the sheer absurdity of this situation, we have to look at why Robbins was sacked by Keir Starmer and Yvette Cooper in the first place. Robbins was caught up in the vetting scandal of the century involving Peter Mandelson. The UK Security Vetting (UKSV) agency took one look at Mandelson's file and flatly recommended that he be denied security clearance. Why? Because Mandelson was cozy with convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and had a roll of questionable connections to senior figures in China, Russia, and Israel.

But Robbins, doing what compliant establishment gatekeepers do, decided to overrule the security experts and push the clearance through anyway so Mandelson could become the UK ambassador to the US. When the truth came out, Mandelson got sacked, and Robbins was thrown under the bus to save political face.

But the cover-up didn't stop there. When a House of Commons motion forced the government to hand over the paperwork, the Foreign Office simply refused to give a summary of the vetting to the official compiling the dossier. Rules for thee, but not for the elite.

Yet, in the swamp of Whitehall, Robbins isn't a disgraced bureaucrat; he’s a victim. His fellow civil service mandarin buddies have been crying foul, claiming Robbins was just doing what Downing Street wanted by quickly greenlighting Mandelson. Robbins is even reportedly threatening legal action to protect his precious "reputation" and get a nice taxpayer-funded payout.

Now, Andy Burnham’s team—newly elected in Makerfield—is looking to bring Robbins back because they think he’s an "outstanding operator." Translation: Burnham’s team is completely out of its depth on foreign policy and defense, and they need a permanent state insider to hold their hands.

If appointed, Robbins would replace Jonathan Powell, another elite insider who has been running the National Security Adviser gig since November 2024. Powell managed to get himself criticized for giving away the Chagos Islands while the elite clapped for his handling of Trump tariffs and Iran. Robbins, a former Brexit negotiator, is seen as the perfect "heavyweight" replacement to continue this stellar run of establishment competence.