Sir Kim Darroch may have offered his resignation as U.K. ambassador to Washington, but he will remain in post until his successor is chosen, according to the British embassy, raising the risk of continuing diplomatic paralysis between the two allies.
President Trump has already signaled he will not work with the veteran diplomat after leaked cables revealed his unflattering view of an “inept” and “chaotic” administration.
Darroch is expected to leave for a vacation at the end of the week, and British officials will be hoping his absence will defuse tensions while his deputy, Michael Tatham, takes up the role of acting ambassador.
In practice, that could mean he does not return to his role if Boris Johnson, almost certain to become the next prime minister, moves swiftly to appoint a replacement.
“He is technically ambassador until the next one is appointed,” said a spokeswoman for the embassy. “At the end of the week, he is off on leave, which was pre-planned. In those situations the deputy ambassador performs those duties. Then, it will just be once he comes back from leave he will be in the role of ambassador until the next one.”
Darroch announced his resignation a day earlier, saying he wanted to put an end to the uncertainty about his role. He had been due to retire at the end of the year.
Sebastian Gorka, a British-born former Trump adviser, said Darroch would have to let Tatham take over even on his return.
“Darroch will be persona non grata, and his deputy will have to do the job he was meant to be doing,” he said.
A senior British diplomat said the U.S.-U.K. relationship was strong enough to survive the fallout but that the current freeze was unlikely to change before a new prime minister was in office. “It could be a while,” he said.
Darroch, 65, is a popular figure in the Washington diplomatic community and well-regarded in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office but had attracted the ire of some pro-Brexit politicians.
Confidential diplomatic cables went by Darroch were published by The Mail on Sunday last weekend, describing a White House characterized with “vicious infighting and chaos.”
“For a man who has risen to the highest office on the planet, President Trump radiates insecurity,” he wrote.
The candid assessment infuriated Trump, who launched a Twitter broadside dismissing Darroch as “a pompous fool” and “a very stupid guy.” He announced he would no longer deal with the British envoy, whose invitation to a dinner with the emir of Qatar was hurriedly withdrawn.
