Kim Darroch, Britain’s ambassador to the US, resigned on Wednesday after Boris Johnson refused to support him following the leak of confidential diplomatic cables in which he criticised President Donald Trump.
Sir Kim spoke to Prime Minister Theresa May at 11.30am to announce his decision to quit, telling colleagues that he felt that Mr Johnson would sack him if, as expected, he becomes prime minister later this month.
Foreign Office minister Alan Duncan said Mr Johnson had “thrown our ambassador under a bus” and said the behaviour of the Tory leadership frontrunner was “contemptible”.
Mr Johnson had refused to support the beleaguered ambassador in a televised leadership debate on Tuesday night. “Kim watched the debate and realised he was being undermined,” said one person briefed on the ambassador’s decision.
Peter Ricketts, a former head of the Foreign Office, wrote on Twitter that Sir Kim had been an outstanding public servant. “It should not have ended like this. He has been taken out by an act of political sabotage. What does this say about the state of our country?”
Mrs May announced Sir Kim’s departure to a silent House of Commons and made an implicit attack on Mr Johnson, saying: “I hope we will reflect on the importance of defending our values and principles when they are under pressure.”
Referring to the ambassador — who was labelled a “pompous fool” by Mr Trump on Tuesday — the prime minister said: “He has given a lifetime of service to the UK and we owe him a huge debt of gratitude.”
Sir Kim has been under huge pressure since Mr Trump said on Monday he would refuse to deal with him, following the leak of diplomatic cables in which the ambassador labelled his administration “inept” and “dysfunctional”.
Mrs May issued a statement of full support in her ambassador but Mr Johnson, repeatedly pressed on whether he would retain Sir Kim in Washington if he became prime minister, refused to answer.
He said on the ITV leadership debate programme on Tuesday that he was “not going to be so presumptuous” on what date Sir Kim would leave his job. “I alone will decide who takes important and politically sensitive jobs,” said Mr Johnson.
Sir Kim’s resignation will now become a big factor in the Tory leadership contest, with Conservative MPs asking whether a future prime minister might put his relationship with foreign leaders such as Mr Trump ahead of the defence of senior civil servants.
“What is the lesson of this episode?” asked Tom Tugendhat, Tory chairman of the Commons foreign affairs committee.
“Foreign leaders can shape our politics by bullying our diplomats. If you don’t back your envoys, you undermine them. That weakens our influence and undermines the interests of the British people. We need to stand up for our country everywhere, not just where it’s easy.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt, the underdog in the Conservative leadership contest, wrote on Twitter: “Deeply saddened to hear of the resignation of Sir Kim Darroch. Standing up for Britain means standing up for the finest diplomats on the world. It should never have come to this.”
Supporters of Mr Johnson attempted to pin the blame for Sir Kim’s resignation on the leaker of the diplomatic cables.
Home secretary Sajid Javid said Sir Kim “should not have been put in this position by the deeply irresponsible actions of whoever leaked official documentation”.
In his resignation letter to Simon McDonald, head of the Foreign Office, Sir Kim 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. Although my posting is not due to end until the end of this year, I believe in the current circumstances the responsible course is to allow the appointment of a new ambassador.”
After Mr Trump came close to declaring Sir Kim persona non grata on Monday, the White House followed through by withdrawing an invitation to the ambassador to attend a dinner that US Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin hosted for the emir of Qatar.
Sir Kim also pulled out of a meeting between Liam Fox, UK trade secretary, and Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter and a White House adviser.
