New UK ambassador to US appointed after Trump row
London: Britain appointed its current UN envoy as the next ambassador to the United States on Friday after London’s previous top diplomat in Washington resigned over comments about President Donald Trump.
Downing Street said Karen Pierce would replace Kim Darroch, who quit over leaked diplomatic cables in which he criticised Trump as “inept” and said the White House was “uniquely dysfunctional”.
The appointment has been keenly watched to fill a vacuum left by Darroch’s departure in July last year, and as Britain and the United States prepare for talks over a post-Brexit trade deal.
Pierce, a career diplomat who has previously served in Washington as private secretary to the British ambassador between 1992 and 1996, is the first woman to hold the post.
Foreign minister Dominic Raab called her “an outstanding diplomat” and the appointment came at a time of “huge opportunity” for the historically close nations. – AFP