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.