Mark Sedwill’s chances of becoming UK ambassador to Washington
have been damaged by concerns over an article praising Joe Biden and
criticizing Donald Trump.
The
front-runner to replace Peter Mandelson in Washington is the former national
security adviser and cabinet secretary. However, an article he published four
years ago in which he made a number of criticisms of Trump following his defeat
by Biden in the 2020 presidential election has some government officials
concerned.
Divisions
inside Whitehall over how to handle the relationship with a volatile White
House following the short but eventful tenure of Lord Mandelson one of the few
overtly political occupants of the position are reflected in the concerns.
While
working in Downing Street under Theresa May, Lord Sedwill penned a piece for
the Daily Mail in 2021 about his involvement in Trump’s first official visit to
the UK.
He wrote: “It was the morning after a sumptuous dinner at
Blenheim Palace, an evening designed to be on a grand scale to impress a
visiting American president. But instead of smiles, there were horrified
expressions on the face of Downing Street colleagues as we read an interview in
which Mr Trump rubbished Mrs May’s tactics in her Brexit negotiations with the
European Union, blundering unapologetically into the most sensitive issue in
British politics.”
Sedwill was
referring to an interview Trump gave to the Sun just before his trip in which
the president said: “I actually
told Theresa May how to do [Brexit] but she didn’t agree, she didn’t listen to
me.”
Sedwill
also wrote about Trump’s European visit as a
whole, touching on the 6 January attack on the US Capitol by the president’s
supporters, a very sensitive issue for him.
“The whole European visit provided a stark example
of Mr Trump’s capriciousness with allies, behaviour which culminated in
attacking his loyal vice-president this month during the assault he incited on
the US Capitol,” Sedwill wrote.
“There is
relief in western capitals that normal diplomatic relationships will be restored
once Joe Biden is inaugurated as the 46th president tomorrow. Those of us who
regard ourselves as close American allies have badly missed US leadership over
the past four years.”
Sedwill is
one of several that have been suggested as potential Mandelson substitutes.
Although it is believed that he does not intend to apply for the position, he
has not ruled out doing so should Downing Street approach him
He stands
out as one of the best contenders for the position because of his expertise at
the highest level of government, which he departed in 2020.
British
advisers are worried that the 2021 piece would become a flashpoint, but US
officials are reportedly unconcerned about it.
Australian
diplomats were horrified to see Trump scold their envoy, Kevin Rudd, live on
television earlier this week for his criticisms of the president.
“I don’t
like you either,” Trump said
to laughter from the US and Australian delegations. “And I probably never will.”
The prime
minister’s business adviser Varun Chandra, King Charles’s private secretary
Clive Alderton, and Foreign Office political director Christian Turner are also
being considered as possible Mandelson replacements.
According
to information obtained by The Guardian, Ed Llewellyn, a former David Cameron
assistant who is currently a diplomat, and Antonia Romeo, the permanent
secretary at the Home Office, are both in the race.
James
Roscoe, the deputy chief of mission, will occupy the post until an appointment
is made, and applications shut in a matter of days.
What specific
passages in Sedwill’s 2021 article drew official concern?
The
specific passages in Mark Sedwill’s 2021 composition that drew sanctioned
concern aren’t completely intimately detailed. Still, officers
expressed apprehension with Sedwill’s criticism of Donald Trump and
praise of Joe Biden featured in that composition.
The tone
and content were viewed as potentially compromising the perceived equity
needed for a political advertisement, particularly as UK ambassador to
Washington. This concern forms part of the broader hesitancy around his
appointment, alongside political and procedural complications.
The exact
critical passages haven’t been officially released but are understood to
express positive views on Biden’s programs and negative views on Trump,
which officers felt could peril Sedwill’s effectiveness or
impartiality in a high- profile political role.
