{{short description|British civil servant (born 1975)}} {{redirect|Oliver Robbins|the American actor|Oliver Robins}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2025}}{{Use British English|date=October 2019}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Sir Olly Robbins | honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|size=100%|country=GBR|KCMG|CB}} | image = Olly Robbins 2025 (cropped).jpg | caption = Robbins in 2025 | office = Permanent Under-Secretary for Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Affairs<BR/>Head of HM Diplomatic Service | successor = Nick Dyer (interim) | term_start = 8 January 2025 | term_end = 16 April 2026 | prime_minister = Keir Starmer | 1blankname = {{nowrap|Foreign Secretary}} | 1namedata = David Lammy<br />Yvette Cooper | predecessor = Philip Barton | office1 = Chief Negotiator for Exiting the European Union | term_start1 = 18 September 2017 | term_end1 = 24 July 2019 | prime_minister1 = Theresa May | predecessor1 = David Davis<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/olly-robbins-resign-left-brexit-negotiator-thersea-may-a8980981.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220523/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/olly-robbins-resign-left-brexit-negotiator-thersea-may-a8980981.html |archive-date=23 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|work=The Independent|last=Rahim|first=Zamira|date=30 June 2019|title=Olly Robbins: UK's lead Brexit negotiator 'set to quit role this summer'}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/david-davis-sidelined-as-brussels-tries-to-undermine-him-zw2vvhd7s|work=The Times|last=Wright|first=Oliver|date=28 December 2017|title=David Davis sidelined as Brussels tries to undermine him}}</ref> | successor1 = Lord Frost | office2 = Prime Minister's Europe Adviser | term_start2 = 18 September 2017 | term_end2 = 24 July 2019 | prime_minister2 = Theresa May | predecessor2 = Oliver Letwin (2016) | successor2 = David Frost | term_start3 = 24 June 2016 | term_end3 = 11 July 2016 | prime_minister3 = David Cameron | alongside3 = Oliver Letwin | predecessor3 = Tom Scholar | successor3 = Oliver Letwin | office4 = Permanent Secretary for the<br/>Department for Exiting the European Union | term_start4 = July 2016 | term_end4 = 18 September 2017 | prime_minister4 = Theresa May | 1blankname4 = Brexit Secretary | 1namedata4 = David Davis | predecessor4 = ''Office established'' | successor4 = Philip Rycroft | office5 = Second Permanent Secretary<br /> for the Home Office | term_start5 = September 2015 | term_end5 = June 2016 | prime_minister5 = David Cameron | 1blankname5 = Home Secretary | 1namedata5 = Theresa May | successor5 = Patsy Wilkinson | office6 = Director-General of the Civil Service | prime_minister6 = David Cameron | term_start6 = January 2014 | term_end6 = September 2015 | predecessor6 = Katherine Kerswell | successor6 = Simon Claydon | office7 = Principal Private Secretary to the<br />Prime Minister of the United Kingdom | term_start7 = 27 June 2006 | term_end7 = 11 September 2007 | prime_minister7 = Tony Blair<br/>Gordon Brown | predecessor7 = Ivan Rogers | successor7 = Tom Scholar | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1975|4|20|df=yes}} | birth_place = Lambeth, London, England | spouse = {{marriage|Sherry Birkbeck|2005}} | children = 3 | occupation = Civil servant | education = Colfe's School | alma_mater = Hertford College, Oxford | awards = 45px KCMG<br/>45px CB }}
'''Sir Oliver Robbins''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KCMG|CB}} (born 20 April 1975) is a British former senior civil servant who served as the Prime Minister's Europe Adviser, the chief Brexit negotiator from 2017 to 2019, and Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office from 2025 to 2026.
Prior to his roles relating to the European Union in HM Civil Service, Robbins served as Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister and Second Permanent Secretary at the Home Office. He also served as the Permanent Secretary at the Department for Exiting the European Union from July 2016 to September 2017, and as the Prime Minister's Advisor on Europe and Global Issues from June to July 2016. Between 2019 and 2025, he was an investment advisor with Goldman Sachs. He became a controversial figure among Brexit supporters for his perceived pro-European stance.<ref>{{cite news |last=Deacon |first=Michael |title=The single word that says so much about Olly Robbins – the Brexiteers' bête noire |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2018/07/24/single-word-says-much-olly-robbins-brexiteers-bete-noire/ |website=The Daily Telegraph |date=24 July 2018 |publisher=Telegraph Media Group Limited |access-date=1 June 2023}}</ref>
He was appointed Permanent Under-Secretary, the most senior civil servant at the Foreign Office, in January 2025, but was dismissed in April 2026 over the controversy around Peter Mandelson's appointment as British ambassador to the United States.
== Early life and education == Robbins was born in 1975 in Lambeth, to Derek Robbins and Diana (''née'' Phillips).<ref name="WhosWho">'ROBBINS, Oliver', Who's Who 2012, A & C Black, 2012; online edition, Oxford University Press, December 2011; online edition, November 2011 [http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U245179, accessed 18 April 2012]</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Index entry |url=http://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=rmXDwviLSopUuMuB3ZRYig&scan=1 |work=FreeBMD |publisher=ONS |access-date=22 July 2018}}</ref> His father is Emeritus Professor of International Social Theory at the University of East London,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://repository.uel.ac.uk/researcher/81476/prof-derek-robbins|title=Prof Derek Robbins: UEL Research Repository|website=repository.uel.ac.uk}}</ref> where he has taught since it was founded as North East London Polytechnic in 1970, devoting his career to French post-structuralist social theory and the work of Pierre Bourdieu.<ref name="'broker">{{cite news |last1=Barker |first1=Alex |last2=Parker |first2=George |title=Meet Britain's real Brexit broker |url=https://app.ft.com/content/a7298efa-cc1c-11e8-b276-b9069bde0956 |website=Financial Times |date=10 October 2018}}</ref><ref name="uel">{{cite web |title=Professor Derek Michael Robbins – Emeritus Professor |url=https://www.uel.ac.uk/staff/r/derek-robbins |website=University of East London}}</ref> His mother was a civil servant, who left her job to raise her children.<ref>Dudman, Jane (21 September 2015). [https://www.theguardian.com/public-leaders-network/2015/sep/21/civil-service-diversity-national-inclusion-week-whitehall Will the UK civil service ever reflect the diverse nation it serves?]. ''The Guardian''. Retrieved 9 July 2018.</ref>
He was educated at Colfe's School, a private school in Lee, south-east London,<ref name="LinkedIn profile">{{cite web|title=Oliver Robbins|url=https://uk.linkedin.com/in/oliver-robbins-07b2305b|website=LinkedIn|access-date=3 July 2016}}</ref> and Hertford College, Oxford, where in 1996 he took a BA in PPE.<ref name="WhosWho" /><ref name="LinkedIn profile" /> At Oxford, he was elected President of the Oxford Reform Club, a group promoting a federal European Union.<ref name="shipman">{{cite news |last1=Pogrund |first1=Gabriel |author1-link=Gabriel Pogrund |last2=Shipman |first2=Tim |title=Oliver Robbins, May's Brexit chief, was 'student Sir Humphrey' bent on federal Europe |url=https://www.thetimes.com/world/europe/article/oliver-robbins-was-student-sir-humphrey-bent-on-federal-europe-wbbkvsd0q |work=The Sunday Times |date=11 February 2018 |access-date=26 August 2018 |issn=0956-1382}}</ref>
== Career ==
=== Early career === Robbins joined HM Treasury in 1996 after graduation, serving as head of corporate and private finance from 2003 to 2006, and then briefly as head of defence, diplomacy and intelligence finance.<ref name="WhosWho" />
He was appointed as Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street in 2006, replacing Ivan Rogers for the last part of Tony Blair's administration and the start of Gordon Brown's. When Brown re-set the Prime Minister's Office organisation to be more like its pre-1997 form, Robbins briefly served as its director before leaving Number 10 in 2007 to become the director of intelligence and security — later, director of intelligence, security and resilience — in the Cabinet Office.
In 2010, David Cameron's incoming administration reorganised the UK national security apparatus, and Robbins's post was reformulated as the deputy national security advisor responsible for intelligence, security and resilience. In this role, Robbins negotiated with ''The Guardian'' on how to curtail its reporting of material leaked by Edward Snowden relating to the operations of the CIA and GCHQ.<ref name=":1">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/jul/27/olly-robbins-steely-operator-fighting-on-the-brexit-frontline|title=Olly Robbins: steely operator fighting on the Brexit frontline|last=Perkins|first=Anne|date=27 July 2018|website=The Guardian |access-date=26 August 2018}}</ref> ''The Guardian'' described Robbins as "steely but punctiliously polite".<ref name=":1" />
In January 2014, Robbins was appointed director-general (civil service) at the Cabinet Office.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.civilserviceworld.com/robbins-replaces-kerswell-as-head-of-civil-service-reform|title=Robbins replaces Kerswell as head of civil service reform {{!}} Civil Service World|website=www.civilserviceworld.com|access-date=9 October 2016}}</ref> In September 2015, Robbins moved to the Home Office as Second Permanent Secretary alongside Sir Mark Sedwill.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.duncanlewis.co.uk/immigration_news/Home_Office_appoints_Second_Permanent_Secretary_to_oversee_borders_and_immigration_(18_September_2015).html|title=Duncan Lewis: Home Office appoints Second Permanent Secretary to oversee borders and immigration|website=www.duncanlewis.co.uk|access-date=9 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.globalgovernmentforum.com/uks-dg-for-civil-service-reform-moves-to-home-office/|title=UK's DG for civil service reform moves to Home Office|date=16 September 2015|newspaper=Global Government Forum|language=en-US|access-date=9 October 2016}}</ref> He had responsibility for immigration and free movement, as well as the borders, immigration and citizenship system.<ref name=":2">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/apr/13/civil-servant-oliver-robbins-thrown-out-commons-committee-ordered-return|title=Civil servant thrown out of Commons committee is ordered to return|last=Syal|first=Rajeev|date=13 April 2016|website=The Guardian |access-date=26 August 2018}}</ref> During this role, Robbins was ordered to leave a meeting of the Home Affairs Select Committee after he was deemed to have given "unsatisfactory" answers about the budget for Border Force and to instead provide answers outside the hearing later the same day, which he did not do.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-36029856|title=Vaz throws civil servant out of committee|date=12 April 2016|publisher=BBC News|access-date=26 August 2018|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name=":2" />
=== European Union adviser === In July 2016, Robbins was appointed the head of the European and Global Issues Secretariat, advising the Prime Minister on the European Union and to oversee Britain's exit from the EU.<ref>{{cite web|title=Permanent Secretary appointed to lead the new EU unit in Cabinet Office|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/permanent-secretary-appointed-to-lead-the-new-eu-unit-in-cabinet-office|website=gov.uk|publisher=Cabinet Office and Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street|access-date=3 July 2016|date=29 June 2016}}</ref> Shortly thereafter, the secretariat was moved out of the Cabinet Office becoming a Ministry of State, the Department for Exiting the European Union, of which he became permanent secretary.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/permanent-secretary-appointed-to-lead-the-new-eu-unit-in-cabinet-office|title=Permanent Secretary appointed to lead the new EU unit in Cabinet Office|date=29 June 2016|website=gov.uk |access-date=2 December 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2016/jun/29/immigration-official-takes-charge-of-uk-brexit-unit|title=Immigration official takes charge of UK Brexit unit|last=Elgot|first=Jessica|date=29 June 2016|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=9 October 2016}}</ref> In September 2017, Robbins moved from the Brexit Department to become Prime Minister Theresa May's personal Brexit advisor.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.itv.com/news/2019-02-12/who-is-olly-robbins-possibly-the-most-powerful-man-in-westminster-youve-never-heard-of/|title=Who is Olly Robbins, possibly the most powerful man in Westminster you've never heard of?|last=Hewitt|first=Daniel|date=12 February 2019|work=ITV News|access-date=15 March 2019|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref name="bbcrobbins">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-41308081|title=Brexit official Robbins moves to No 10|date=18 September 2017|publisher=BBC News|access-date=2 December 2017|language=en-GB}}</ref> His closeness to May led to him being described as her ''consigliere'', though he was praised by allies of the four Prime Ministers he served.<ref name=":1" /><ref name="Watt 2018">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-42777986|title=Who is Olly Robbins and why is he so important?|last=Watt|first=Nicholas|date=2018|publisher=BBC News|access-date=26 August 2018|language=en-GB}}</ref>
Robbins's role in negotiating a deal for the UK withdrawal from the European Union led to some Conservative MPs blaming him for an anti-Brexit "establishment plot", criticising him as "secretive" and likening him to Grigori Rasputin.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.politicshome.com/news/uk/foreign-affairs/brexit/news/99104/civil-service-chief-slams-%E2%80%98sniping%E2%80%99-against-brexit|title=Civil service chief slams 'sniping' against Brexit negotiator Olly Robbins|last=PoliticsHome.com|date=16 October 2018|work=PoliticsHome.com|access-date=19 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/pm-s-rasputin-oliver-robbins-charms-brussels-and-splits-tories-f3wnt6tmd|title=PM's 'Rasputin' Oliver Robbins charms Brussels and splits Tories|author=Coates, Sam; Wright, Oliver; Waterfield, Bruno|date=13 October 2018|work=The Times|access-date=19 October 2018 |issn=0140-0460}}</ref> Acting Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill sent a letter to ''The Times'' defending Robbins, asserting that civil servants implement the decisions of elected governments.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/brexiteers-theresa-may-eu-adviser-civil-service-mark-sedwill-olly-robbins-a8586531.html |author= Cowburn, Ashley|date=16 October 2018|access-date = 17 April 2026|archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220523/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/brexiteers-theresa-may-eu-adviser-civil-service-mark-sedwill-olly-robbins-a8586531.html |archive-date=23 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Brexiteers should be 'ashamed of themselves' for attacks on Theresa May's EU adviser, says head of civil service|work=The Independent|language=en-GB}}</ref> Sedwill pointed to the example of HMRC permanent secretary Sir Jon Thompson receiving death threats after giving evidence before MPs about the costs of a potential post-Brexit customs plan.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/sniping-tories-are-told-to-stop-attacks-on-pm-s-negotiator-bd8nc9f7h|title='Sniping' Tories are told to stop attacks on PM's Brexit negotiator|last=Wright|first=Oliver|date=16 October 2018|work=The Times|access-date=17 April 2026 |issn=0140-0460}}</ref> Responding to Sedwill's letter, Andrew Adonis said that civil servants should "start getting used to criticism", as they had the option to work on other policies.<ref name="wright">{{cite news|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/may-s-negotiator-olly-robbins-faces-renewed-attack-from-sir-richard-dearlove-former-mi6-chief-qc0889tj7|title=May's negotiator Olly Robbins faces renewed attack|last=Wright |first=Oliver |date=17 October 2018|work=The Times|access-date=19 October 2018 |issn=0140-0460}}</ref> A group of former military and intelligence officials associated with pro-Brexit pressure group ''Veterans for Britain'', including Sir Richard Dearlove, the former head of MI6, said Robbins had "serious questions of improper conduct to answer" over defence and security co-operation between the UK and the EU after Brexit.<ref name="wright" /> Former Department for Work and Pensions permanent secretary Sir Leigh Lewis backed up Sedwill's letter, noting the "occupational hazard for senior civil servants to be held responsible for the political decisions of ministers", of which he considered the attacks on Robbins to be a blatant example in a particularly toxic environment.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.civilserviceworld.com/articles/opinion/sir-leigh-lewis-olly-robbins-deserves-admiration-not-abuse-his-brexit-work|title=Sir Leigh Lewis: Olly Robbins deserves admiration not abuse for his Brexit work {{!}} Civil Service World|website=www.civilserviceworld.com |access-date=19 October 2018}}</ref>
=== Later career === In June 2019 it was reported that Robbins intended to resign when Theresa May left office.<ref name="quit">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/06/29/theresa-mays-chief-brexit-negotiator-quit-role-new-pm-takes/|title=Olly Robbins, Theresa May's chief Brexit negotiator, to quit role before new PM takes power|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=29 June 2019|access-date = 17 April 2016}}</ref> He was elected to the Heywood fellowship at the Blavatnik School of Government in September 2019, after which he joined Goldman Sachs as a managing director of the bank's investment banking division; joining former European Commission president José Manuel Barroso, who was the non-executive chairman of Goldman Sachs International at the time.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-03-25 |title=Fellows |url=https://heywoodfoundation.com/fellows/ |access-date=2026-04-22 |website=heywoodfoundation.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cityam.com/theresa-mays-brexit-negotiator-olly-robbins-set-to-join-goldman-sachs/|title=Theresa May's Brexit negotiator Olly Robbins set to join Goldman Sachs|author= Graham, August|date=9 September 2019|access-date= 17 April 2026|work=CityAM|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |publisher=BBC News |access-date=14 September 2023 |title=Former PM's Brexit negotiator joins Goldman Sachs |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-49642179}}</ref>
Robbins worked for strategic advisory firm Hakluyt & Company in about 2024.<ref name=guardian-20250913>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/sep/13/thames-water-paid-1m-plus-to-corporate-spooks-firm-part-owned-by-starmer-adviser |title=Thames Water paid £1m-plus to corporate spooks firm part-owned by Starmer adviser |last1=Collingridge |first1=John |last2=Isaac |first2=Anna |last3=Jolly |first3=Jasper |newspaper=The Guardian |date=13 September 2025 |access-date=14 September 2025}}</ref>
He applied to be cabinet secretary,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/nov/14/oliver-robbins-longlist-cabinet-secretary-uk-civil-service|title=Olly Robbins on longlist of 10 vying for UK civil service top job|first1=Pippa|last1=Crerar|first2=Rowena|last2=Mason|work=The Guardian |date=14 November 2024}}</ref> but Sir Chris Wormald was appointed instead in December 2024. Robbins was one of the final four candidates with Sir Chris Wormald, Dame Antonia Romeo and Tamara Finkelstein.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ft.com/content/89d5c381-c231-46ab-ba22-bc7fe151987a|title=Chris Wormald appointed UK's top civil servant|first1=Lucy|last1=Fisher|first2=Laura|last2=Hughes|first3=George|last3=Parker|work=Financial Times |date=2 December 2024}}</ref>
=== Permanent Under-Secretary, FCDO === {{More|Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs}} Robbins was appointed Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs on 8 January 2025 for a five-year term,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-permanent-under-secretary-appointed-at-the-foreign-commonwealth-and-development-office|title=New Permanent Under-Secretary Appointed at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office|website=GOV.UK}}</ref> succeeding Sir Philip Barton.
Under Robbins, the FCDO underwent staff cuts. All directors general and director-level staff were required to reapply for their jobs with reductions to staff expected in 2026.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ft.com/content/1cb10fa7-49a8-46c0-bd8c-c31ec32f896e|title=Starmer’s top business adviser emerges as frontrunner to replace Mandelson as envoy to US|author=Sheppard, David; Parker, George|date = 23 November 2025|access-date = 17 April 2026|work=Financial Times}}</ref> On 16 April 2026, Robbins was dismissed over the controversy surrounding Peter Mandelson's appointment as British ambassador to the United States.<ref>{{cite news |date=16 April 2026 |title=Top Foreign Office official Olly Robbins to leave post after Mandelson vetting row |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c747r3v90k3o |access-date=16 April 2026 |language=en-GB|last=Mason|first=Chris|publisher=BBC News|last2=McKiernan|first2=Jennifer|last3=Morton|first3=Becky}}</ref> Robbins gave evidence on this issue to the Foreign Affairs Committee on 21 April 2026.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Confirmed: Sir Olly Robbins evidence session - Committees - UK Parliament |url=https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/78/foreign-affairs-committee/news/213218/confirmed-sir-olly-robbins-evidence-session/ |access-date=2026-04-21 |website=committees.parliament.uk |language=en}}</ref>
== Personal life == Robbins has been married to Sherry Birkbeck since 2005. They have three children.<ref name="WhosWho" /><ref name=":1" /> He is a member of the National Liberal Club.<ref name="WhosWho" />
== Honours == In the 2015 Queen's Birthday Honours, Robbins was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) for public service.<ref name="LG 13 June 2015">{{London Gazette |issue=61256 |date=13 June 2015 |page=B3 |supp=y }}</ref> He was advanced as a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in the 2019 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cityam.com/staffers-and-cricketers-named-in-mays-resignation-honours/|title=Staffers (and cricketers) named in May's resignation honours|date=9 September 2019|website=CityAM|language=en-GB|access-date=10 September 2019}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette |issue=62807 |date=28 October 2019 |page=19277 |supp=1}}</ref>
== References == {{reflist|3}}
==External links== {{commons category}} *[http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09r37tx Profile of Oliver Robbins] on BBC Radio 4
{{s-start}} {{s-gov}} {{s-bef | before = Ivan Rogers }} {{s-ttl | title = Principal Private Secretary <br /> to the Prime Minister | years = 2006–2007 }} {{s-aft | after = Tom Scholar }}
{{s-bef | before = Robert Hannigan }} {{s-ttl | title = Director of Intelligence Security and Resilience <br />for the Cabinet Office | years = 2007–2010 }} {{s-non | reason = Office abolished }}
{{s-new|post }} {{s-ttl | title = Deputy National Security Advisor <br />for the Cabinet Office | years = 2010–2014 }} {{s-aft | after = Paddy McGuinness }}
{{s-bef | before = Katherine Kerswell }} {{s-ttl | title = Director-General of the Civil Service | years = 2014–2015 }} {{s-aft | after = Simon Claydon }}
{{s-new|post }} {{s-ttl | title = Deputy Permanent Secretary <br /> for the Home Office | years = 2015–2016 }} {{s-aft | after = Patsy Wilkinson }} {{s-bef | before = Tom Scholar | as = Prime Minister's Adviser<br /> for Europe and Global Issues }} {{s-ttl | title = Permanent Secretary for the<br/>Department for Exiting the European Union | years = 2016–2017 }} {{s-aft | after = Philip Rycroft }} {{s-bef | before = Philip Barton }} {{s-ttl | title = Permanent Under-Secretary of <br>Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Affairs | years = 8 January 2025–present }} {{s-aft | after = ''incumbent'' }} {{s-end}}
{{Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister}}
{{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Robbins, Oliver}} Category:1975 births Category:Living people Category:People educated at Colfe's School Category:Alumni of Hertford College, Oxford Category:Companions of the Order of the Bath Category:Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Category:Civil servants from London Category:Civil servants in HM Treasury Category:Government advisors Category:Principal private secretaries to the prime minister Category:Permanent under-secretaries of state for foreign affairs Category:Second permanent under-secretaries of state for the Home Department Category:Goldman Sachs people Category:Brexit