UK set to appoint new ambassador to US as soon as the summer

The UK government is preparing to appoint the next British ambassador to the US with an announcement expected as early as spring, according to people familiar with the matter.

A series of senior officials across the diplomatic and national security spheres were being considered for the role, the people said, including serving ambassadors and departmental permanent secretaries, as speculation over the appointment mounts in Westminster.

It is set to be the most consequential decision the UK foreign secretary Lord David Cameron will take regarding the diplomatic corps, given the implications for the posting if Donald Trump wins the US presidency later this year.

Dame Karen Pierce, current UK ambassador to the US, is set to remain in post until the end of 2024. Her term, which began in March 2020, was extended beyond the usual four years after the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted the start of her tenure.

Officials said they believed there was an “outside chance” that Pierce’s term could be extended again but it was more likely her successor would arrive ahead of the inauguration of the next US president in January.

One government official said it was possible that a spring announcement could pave the way for a summer start date for the new ambassador, to allow time for them to bed in before the US election in November.

Regarded as the most senior ambassadorship in the diplomatic service, the role comes with a grand Queen Anne-style residence in Washington designed by renowned architect Edwin Lutyens, which has recently undergone an £118mn refurbishment.

Officials reported that the list of contenders under consideration for the role include the UK’s national security adviser Sir Tim Barrow, a former UK ambassador to the EU. According to his colleagues, Barrow would not expect to stay for long in his current post if Labour comes to power.

UK ambassador to the UN in New York Dame Barbara Woodward is being considered as a potential candidate, given her experience in a senior Stateside diplomatic job. She was previously Britain’s ambassador to China.

The Foreign Office permanent secretary Sir Philip Barton and his Home Office counterpart Sir Matthew Rycroft, both of whom have previously served in the British embassy in Washington, were also named as being in the running.

Some officials said they believed Rycroft was more likely to return to the Foreign Office as Barton’s successor but could also succeed Barrow as national security adviser.

Ed Llewellyn, UK ambassador to Italy and previously chief of staff to Cameron when he was prime minister, has also been tipped by diplomats for the Washington role.

However, Foreign Office insiders have insisted this speculation is wide of the mark, not least as he has two years left in his current post in Rome.

Cameron will play a central role in the decision, to be approved by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, if the Tory administration presses ahead with finalising the appointment before the UK general election expected this year.

Senior diplomats said the new ambassador must enjoy a good working relationship with, and the respect of, the UK prime minister and foreign secretary, regardless of whoever is in Downing Street.

Other political figures with far longer odds are also said to be highlighting their interest. One veteran diplomat reported that Sir Liam Fox had been “letting it be known” he was interested in the job. “Liam has lots of contacts in Washington. Nearly all of them are Republicans though,” they added.

Nigel Farage, Reform UK party honorary president, has made a public pitch for the role, arguing he could be a “friend” to Trump, the former president and frontrunner to be the Republican party’s presidential nominee, if Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer wins the election.

Starmer has said he would work with Trump but last month took an apparent swipe at him, saying he would “stand up” for Britain’s allies in an apparent reference to Trump’s threat to abandon Nato members.

While the US election is more than eight months away, the prospect of Trump returning to the White House has raised the stakes for the UK choosing a diplomat equipped to co-operate with his allies.

Sir Peter Westmacott, a former UK ambassador to the US, agreed that if Trump wins, he would “have lots of like-minded people ready to go . . . You will have to have somebody [as UK ambassador] who can engage with and work with those people”.

He added that the next ambassador must have a “clear sense” of the UK’s foreign policy strategies, priorities and values. Britain’s “default position to tuck in behind what America thinks” was unlikely to hold if Trump wins, he warned.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: “Future ambassadorial appointments will be confirmed by the FCDO in the usual way.”