WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump's apparent ability to force the resignation of a British envoy may end up making relations between Washington and London even worse, former UK Ambassador Peter Ford told Sputnik.
UK Ambassador to the United States Kim Darroch resigned on Wednesday, a day after President Donald Trump in a tweet called him "a very stupid guy." Earlier in the day, the BBC reported that Darroch quit because Boris Johnson, the front-runner to succeed Theresa May as prime minister, refused to support him.
"Indeed the friction is likely to increase, because Johnson will now need to live down his reputation as Trump's poodle. Johnson's failure to back the British Ambassador in Washington makes him vulnerable to accusations of being weak towards Trump," Ford said on Wednesday.
On July 6, the Daily Mail newspaper published excerpts from confidential cables that the ambassador had sent to London in which the diplomat described the White House as "uniquely dysfunctional" and warned that Trump could end up in "disgrace."
Darroch also described Trump as inept, insecure and incompetent.
Ford said that even if Johnson succeeds May and appoints a pro-Trump ambassador, US-UK relations in the once fabled "Special Relationship" are likely to get considerably worse in the near future.
"Johnson hates Russia, hates Syria and shares all the prejudices of the US establishment," Ford said.
As far as Darroch goes, in mocking the conduct of the White House, the outgoing UK diplomat showed not a glimpse of understanding for the difficulties Trump faced, Ford remarked.
Trump, Ford explained, remains besieged by domestic enemies and betrayed by poorly chosen advisers in trying to carry forward the anti-war, anti-interventionist agenda on which he was elected.
"The unconventional US President could not be forgiven for seeking better relations with Russia, for trying to reduce the US military footprint in Syria, and for standing up to the FBI and other parts of the US establishment," Ford claimed.
Ford also said Darroch "parroted" the accusations that Trump colluded with Russia to win the 2016 presidential election.
The US-UK relationship Ford added, has now become "very special" with Trump publicly insulting a British ambassador and making him persona non grata while dismissing the UK prime minister as "foolish."
Trump, in fact, has conducted himself more like an enemy of the United Kingdom unlike the ever polite Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ford observed.