Sir Kim Darroch quits as UK ambassador to US in wake of leaked Trump emails
Sir Kim Darroch has resigned from his post as UK ambassador to the US, saying his leaked about President Donald Trump have made it “impossible” to continue in his role.
Darroch’s leaked emails sparked a diplomatic row between the UK and US as Trump lashed back at the envoy’s criticisms before Prime Minister Theresa May offered Darroch her support.
Read more: Sir Kim Darroch has the full support of Theresa May
“The current situation is making it impossible for me to carry out my role as I would like,” Darroch said.
“ Although my posting is not due to end until the end of this year, I believe in the current circumstances the responsible course is to allow the appointment of a new ambassador.”
Darroch’s leaked emails said Trump “radiates insecurity” while calling the President’s White House “uniquely dysfunctional”.
Trump responded furiously in several tweets, calling Darroch “wacky” and “a very stupid guy”.
“He should speak to his country, and Prime Minister May, about their failed Brexit negotiation, and not be upset with my criticism of how badly it was handled,” Trump said yesterday.
Darroch was yesterday dropped from a scheduled meeting between international trade secretary Liam Fox and Ivanka Trump, the President’s daughter.
Appearing in the Commons just minutes after Darroch’s resignation was announced, May paid tribute to the diplomat, saying it was a “matter of great regret”.
“The whole cabinet rightly gave its whole support to Sir Kim on Tuesday,” said May.
“Sir Kim has given a lifetime of service to the United Kingdom and we owe him an enomrous debt of gratitude,” May added.
Today Foreign Office minister Sir Alan Duncan accused Tory leadership race frontrunner Boris Johnson of failing to offer Darroch his full support during a televised debate on Tuesday.
“A former foreign secretary who thinks he is equipped to be Prime Minister has basically thrown him under a bus.
“Members of parliament here, on both sides of the House, are absolutely livid.
“The conduct of Boris Johnson has discredited him enormously in the eyes of many people in this country.”
Johnson hit back, describing Dannoch as a “superb” diplomat.
“I think that whoever leaked his diptels really has done a grave disservice to our civil servants, to people who give impartial advice to ministers,” he said, adding: “I hope whoever it is is run down, caught and eviscerated quite frankly.”
Asked why he said he wasn’t going to back him during the ITV leadership debate, Johnson said: “No – on the contrary. My view is that it’s wrong to drag civil servants into the political arena. That’s what I think.”
Former Prime Minister John Major said today that Darroch has been “thrown to the wolves” over the incident.
A Yougov poll of 2,843 people conducted yesterday found that 41 per cent believe the next Prime Minister should give their full support to Darroch and keep him in post.
Darroch had been due to step down at the end of the year before leaked emails he wrote in 2017 appeared in the Mail on Sunday.
In his correspondence, he wrote: “We don’t really believe this administration is going to become substantially more normal; less dysfunctional; less unpredictable; less faction-riven; less diplomatically clumsy and inept.”
Darroch said today: “I am grateful to all those in the UK and the US, who have offered their support during this difficult few days. This has brought home to me the depth of friendship and close ties between our two countries. I have been deeply touched.
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“I am also grateful to all those with whom I have worked over the last four decades, particularly my team here in the US. The professionalism and integrity of the British civil service is the envy of the world. I will leave it full of confidence that its values remain in safe hands.”