In choosing the UK’s new ambassador, Keir Starmer is gambling that the rewards will justify the risks
rom Prince of Darkness to deputy prime minister to Your Excellency. It is fair to say that the latest incarnation of the politician with nine lives is not a universally acclaimed appointment. In conversation with a cabinet minister a couple of weeks ago, I brought upbecoming the UK’s man in Washington. The minister arched a sceptical eyebrow before saying: “We already have a very good ambassador there.
The attractions of the job to its recipient are self-evident. This is a significant and glamorous role. It comes with anand recently refurbished Lutyens-designed residence on Massachusetts Avenue. He loves being at the centre of events as he also has a penchant for razzle-dazzle and a taste for the finer things in life. Helping Sir Keir to navigate the second Trump presidency presents complex challenges and Lord M fancies himself one of the sharpest problem-solvers in the business.
This appointment tells us the Labour government is more fretful than it lets on about the wild weather it may face when Typhoon Orange sweeps back His most persuasive claim on the job is his expertise in an area of potential great danger to the UK’s prosperity during Trump 2.0. Trade negotiations are a speciality subject after being trade secretary twice during the New Labour years and, even more importantly, EU commissioner for trade. Number 10 thinks it needs that experience when the president-elect has vowed to start introducing sweeping tariffs on imports into the US from his first day in office.
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