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UK Appoints Karen Pierce as its next ambassador to the US

The UK has appointed its current UN envoy Karen Pierce as its next ambassador to the US after London's previous top diplomat in Washington Kim Darroch resigned over comments about US President Donald Trump.

British Karen Pierce became the UK’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York in March 2018. Prior to this role, Karen served as the Director General for Political Affairs and Chief Operating Officer of the Foreign and Commonwealth in London, from 2016.

She joined the Foreign & Commonwealth Office in 1981. Her first role was in Tokyo between 1984 and 1987, after which she returned to the UK to work in the Security Policy Department. Since joining the Foreign Office in 1981, Dame Karen has been posted to Tokyo, the Balkans and Geneva. She served as the UK’s ambassador to Afghanistan in 2015 and 2016.

Karen Pierce will take on the role at a time when the special relationship between London and Washington is under strain.

Trump vented “apoplectic” fury at UK prime minister Boris Johnson after he ignored repeated warnings from US security officials and granted the Chinese telecoms firm Huawei access to Britain’s future 5G mobile phone networks.

The British government has also raised American hackles over its less hawkish stance on the Iran nuclear deal, a new digital services tax and Washington’s refusal to extradite the wife of a US diplomat who drove on the wrong side of the road and killed a British teenager.

Candidates for the role were interviewed in the Foreign Office last Thursday and an official announcement is expected later on Friday morning. Sir Kim was forced to quit after confidential diplomatic cables criticising Donald Trump were made public.

The British Government confirmed her appointment in a press release: "Karen Pierce appointed as Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the United States of America", 

According to the release, HM The Queen appointed the new Ambassador after the Prime Minister approved the successful candidate on the recommendation of the Foreign Secretary. The request for agrément has now been submitted to the US Government. Karen Pierce is one of the UK’s most experienced senior diplomats and will be the first woman to serve as HM Ambassador to the US.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said: It is a time of huge opportunity for the friendship between the UK and US and I am delighted that Karen Pierce will take forward this exciting new chapter in our relationship. We’re proud to be sending to Washington such an outstanding diplomat, and I warmly congratulate her on her appointment.

Karen Pierce said:
I am honoured to have been asked to represent the UK in the US. I think it is the UK’s single most important relationship. There is a deep bond between Britain and the US, built on many pillars.

We have a fantastic cross-Government team across the US and I look forward to working with them to strengthen and even further deepen the special relationship between our two countries and peoples.

Dame Karen will take up her appointment after obtaining the United States’ formal agrément. The statement said.

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