, Columnist
Darroch Graduates From the Boris/Trump Diplomacy School
Britain's top ambassador in Washington will have plenty of classmates.
Stepping down.
Photographer: Victor J. Blue/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Boris Johnson isn’t yet in Downing Street, but he has already made his first major move as leader – and it was a demonstration of weakness. In one flick of the wrist, the front-runner in the Conservative Party leadership contest sacrificed a knight, exposed his queen, and signaled to his pawns that they are there to lay down their careers for his cause.
The knight is Kim Darroch, Britain’s ambassador in Washington. The leaking of his frank and critical views of the Trump administration – which the diplomat described as “uniquely dysfunctional” and “inept” – infuriated the U.S. president.