LONDON/WASHINGTON, July 11 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Sir Kim Darroch has resigned as UK ambassador to the US, as a row over leaked emails critical of President Donald Trump’s administration escalates.
Outgoing British Prime Minister Theresa May said Sir Kim’s departure was “a matter of deep regret” after the ambassador said it was “impossible” for him to continue.
Trump said on Monday that the US would not deal with Sir Kim.
The US president had branded him “a very stupid guy” after confidential emails emerged where the ambassador had called his administration “clumsy and inept”.
In a letter to the Foreign Office, Sir Kim said he wanted to end speculation about his position: “The current situation is making it impossible for me to carry out my role as I would like.”
This is a truly incredible situation. Sir Kim was one of the UK’s most highly respected diplomats and for him to be forced out like this is a major event.
May said Sir Kim had had the full backing of the cabinet and he was owed an “enormous debt of gratitude” for his “lifetime of service” to the UK.
Public servants should be able to give “full and frank advice”, she said, adding that it was important to defend “our values and principles, particularly when they are under pressure”.
Head of the diplomatic service Sir Simon McDonald said it was the first time in his career that a head of state had refused to work with a British ambassador.
He described the leak as “malicious” and told Sir Kim: “You are the best of us.”
In a letter to Sir Kim, Cabinet Secretary and civil service head Sir Mark Sedwill said that while he understood his reasons for resigning it was “a matter of enormous regret that you were put in this position after a shocking betrayal of trust”.
Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington said he was “enraged” by the situation and morale in the senior ranks of the civil service had taken “a very heavy blow”.
In the emails leaked to the Mail on Sunday, Sir Kim said: “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.”
The emails, dating from 2017, said rumours of “infighting and chaos” in the White House were mostly true.
The government has opened an internal inquiry into the publication of the memos and police have been urged to open a criminal investigation.
Downing Street confirmed there had been some “initial discussions” with police regarding the leak and if there was concern about criminal activity they would become involved “more formally”.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said it was “deeply worrying” diplomatic cables had ended up in the public domain. — NNN-AGENCIES
