Sir Kim Darroch has resigned from his post as the United Kingdom’s ambassador to the United States, according to a Fox News report. The ambassador has been under fire this week after several years worth of leaked messages from Darroch showed disparaging and insulting remarks about President Trump.
One of the U.K.’s most senior diplomats, Darroch referred to the president with several unflattering terms in cables dating back to 2017, including “inept” and “incompetent.” Among many incendiary remarks, Darroch said, “For a man who has risen to the highest office on the planet, President Trump radiates insecurity.”
On Tuesday, U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross abruptly canceled a long-planned meeting with Britain’s Secretary of State for International Trade Liam Fox because he knew that Darroch would be in attendance. Though Ross had been on friendly terms with Darroch, the president had referred to him as a “very stupid guy” and “pompous fool” after learning of the content of Darroch’s leaked cables. Trump subsequently disinvited him from a Monday state dinner at the White House with the emir of Qatar.
In a letter from the British Foreign Office early Wednesday morning, Darroch 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.”
