British Prime Minister Theresa May praised the country’s outgoing ambassador to the U.S. Wednesday after he announced his resignation.
May told Parliament that she had spoken with Kim Darroch, saying she regrets his departure and that the entire Cabinet supports him.
{mosads}“Sir Kim has given a lifetime of service to the United Kingdom and we owe him an enormous debt of gratitude,” May said.
Darroch’s resignation comes days after leaked cables showing him criticizing President Trump as “incompetent” and “inept” exacerbated tensions between Washington and London.
Trump responded by hammering Darroch as a “very stupid guy” and “pompous fool” and said he would “no longer deal” with him. He later froze him out of a dinner he was scheduled to attend Monday night with the emir of Qatar and other top advisers.
Darroch said after the cables were leaked and Trump’s criticism that “the current situation is making it impossible for me to carry out my role as I would like.”
Foreign Office chief Simon McDonald said he accepted Darroch’s resignation with “deep personal regret.”
“Good government depends on public servants being able to give full and frank advice. I want all of our public servants to have the confidence to be able to do that and I hope the House will reflect on the importance of defending our values and principles, particularly when they are under pressure,” May said.
Darroch’s resignation this week means that May will be able to choose his replacement before she steps down at the end of the month.