On 10 July 2019, following the leak of diplomatic cables in which he had been critical of the Trump presidential administration, he resigned from his position as ambassador in Washington. Darroch concluded his post in December 2019 upon retirement from HM Diplomatic Service after a career spanning 40 years of public service.
In 2000, Darroch moved back to policy work as Director of EU Comd,[clarification needed] and in 2003 promoted further to be Director-General, Europe. In 2004, he transferred to 10 Downing Street, as Head of the Cabinet Office European Secretariat, where he served as the Prime Minister's principal advisor on European affairs. After three years, Darroch was appointed to replace John Grant in Brussels, as British Permanent Representative to the European Union in 2007 for a four-year term.[2]
On 24 June 2011, it was announced that Darroch would replace Peter Ricketts as National Security Advisor in January 2012, with Jon Cunliffe selected as Darroch's replacement as Permanent Representative to the European Union.[2][8]
Ambassador to the United States
Ambassador Darroch and Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt (right) meet Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in January 2019
On 7 July 2015, the Foreign Office announced that Darroch would be replaced by Mark Lyall Grant in September 2015.[9] On 20 August 2015, the Foreign Office announced that Darroch's new role would be as the Ambassador to the United States, replacing Peter Westmacott on 28 January 2016.[10][11]
In November 2016, following the US election, a memo by Darroch to Prime Minister Theresa May was leaked in which he said the President-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, could be influenced by the British government. The following week, Trump tweeted that Nigel Farage should serve as British ambassador to the United States. Downing Street said that there was no vacancy and that the UK had "an excellent ambassador to the US".[12][13] Darroch was in London the next day for consultations with May that were said to have been long-planned.[14]
Cables leak and resignation
On 7 July 2019, secret diplomatic cables from Darroch to the British government, dating from 2017 to 2019, were leaked to Steven Edginton, a 19-year-old freelance journalist and Brexit Party employee.[15] (The most controversial item, however, according to Darroch's book, Collateral Damage, was not a cable but a confidential letter sent directly to the National Security Advisor, Mark Sedwill) where Darroch assessed the Trump administration as "inept and insecure".[16] In response, Nigel Farage said Darroch was "totally unsuitable" for office,[17] and Trump tweeted that Darroch was "not liked or well thought of within the US" and that "we will no longer deal with him".[18] The Prime Minister, Theresa May, expressed support for Darroch and ordered a leak inquiry.[19] It led to a criminal investigation into the leak by Scotland Yard.[15]
On 10 July, Darroch resigned as Ambassador to the United States. He wrote that "the current situation is making it impossible for me to carry out my role as I would like".[20] Previously, Boris Johnson, the frontrunner in the election to replace May, had declined to publicly support Darroch. Consensus among political commentators in the UK was that this made Darroch's position untenable.[21] In the House of Commons, both May and the leader of the opposition, Jeremy Corbyn, praised Darroch's service and deplored that he had to resign under pressure from the United States.[20] A spokesman for the Prime Minister said that it was an ambassador's job to provide "an honest and unvarnished view" of the US administration.[20] Darroch remained in the post until the end of the year.[22]
Later career
In 2020, Darroch wrote Collateral Damage: Britain, America and Europe in the Age of Trump.[23][24][25]
On 19 September 2021, Darroch became Chairperson of non-partisan, internationalist campaign group, Best for Britain.[26]
^Annabelle Dickson (20 September 2021). "London Playbook: New York State of mind — What Scotland thinks — SpAd reshuffle". politico.eu. Politico. Retrieved 22 September 2021. NEW GIG: Former U.K. Ambassador to the U.S. Kim Darroch has a new gig — he's now chairperson of Best for Britain, the anti-Brexit campaigners now rebranding themselves as a "non-partisan" internationalist campaign group.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.svg)
