SIR Kim Darroch has resigned as UK ambassador to the US, amid the row over leaked emails that lampooned President Trump’s administration, and threatened to split the UK ruling class away from its US opposite number.
The ambassador was branded ‘a very stupid guy’ by the US president, after the mountain of emails emerged ridiculing his regime.
The Foreign Office yesterday praised Sir Kim’s ‘professionalism and class’, just as they were throwing him overboard.
The ambassador himself said that he wanted to put an end to speculation, adding the leak had backfired, making it ‘impossible’ to do his job.
In a letter to the Foreign Office, he said: ‘Since the leak of official documents from this Embassy there has been a great deal of speculation surrounding my position and the duration of my remaining term as ambassador.
‘I want to put an end to that speculation.
‘The current situation is making it impossible for me to carry out my role as I would like.’
In response to the letter, Sir Simon McDonald, permanent undersecretary and head of the diplomatic service, said Sir Kim had served a ‘long and distinguished career, with dignity, professionalism and class’.
Theresa May said it was a ‘matter of great regret’ that Darroch felt the need to resign, saying officials needed to be able to give ‘full and frank advice’.
The prime minister said she had had the full support of the Cabinet for throwing Darroch overboard.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told the House of Commons: ‘The comments made about him are beyond unfair and wrong. I think he has given honourable and good service and he should be thanked for it.’
Darroch was not a minor cog in the wheel of the British state. During a 42-year diplomatic career, he has specialised in national security issues and European Union policy.
In 2007, he served in Brussels as the UK permanent representative to the EU.
He was the prime minister’s national security adviser between 2012 and 2015, dealing with issues such as the rise of the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, the Russian recovery of Crimea, the alleged nuclear threat from Iran and the collapse of government authority in Libya after the murder of Gadaffi.
He became ambassador to the US in January 2016, a year before Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration.
He was a key member of the capitalist state but has been thrown to the wolves without any hesitation by the crisis-ridden Tory government.
Foreign Office Minister – and backer of Jeremy Hunt – Sir Alan Duncan told the BBC, Boris Johnson ‘threw our top diplomat under the bus’ when he refused to give him his full support at last night’s leadership debate.
He called Johnson ‘contemptible’.
Labour MP Diana Johnson MP tweeted: ‘Shocked that British PM has accepted resignation of Sir Kim Darroch. Now appears we are supplicant to the wishes of the man child President Trump.
‘Shocking with our proud history to be told what to do. Boris Johnson’s lack of support so telling for how he will behave as PM
‘A loyal patriot has lost his job because he’s been let down by his Nation, that he worked to promote in foreign lands after a stellar career of service. A truly appalling incident that betrays serious problems in our state architecture.’
Conservative Tom Tugendhat tweeted: ‘If the UK can’t protect diplomatic communications and that costs people their careers when all they’ve done is to execute the wishes of the government we will degrade the quality of our envoys, diminish our influence and weaken our country.’
Labour’s Yvette Cooper tweeted: ‘Appalling that it has come to this. Kim Darroch is a serious and honourable public servant who was doing his job. British representation across the world should not be decided by hostile security leaks or bullying intervention from abroad.’
Labour’s David Lammy tweeted: ‘Hounded out of office for telling the truth. This is a disgraceful example of what “taking back control” truly looks like: pampering to bigoted foreign leaders and letting them date the fate of UK ambassadors.’
Labour’s Ben Bradshaw tweeted: ‘The shameful forcing out of Kim Darroch after Johnson failed to back him shows that Johnson as PM would be nothing more than Trump’s lap dog. What a humiliating prospect for our United Kingdom.’
Boris Johnson said he regretted Darroch’s resignation.
This entire comedy has shown how low once mighty British imperialism has falled and that it really does deserve to perish and be replaced by workers power and socialism.
