Sir Kim Darroch earned the post of UK ambassador to the US after serving as a close adviser to the governments of Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron.

Tall and gregarious, he was nicknamed “Kimbo” at the Foreign Office, where he began his civil service career in 1977 and climbed the ranks of diplomacy in postings from Japan to Italy.

He entered the public eye when he was frequently seen at Cameron’s side as his national security adviser from 2012 to 2015, joining him on trips to war zones, and chairing meetings on international crises, from Russian aggression in Ukraine to the collapse of the Libyan government.

But it is his roles prior to that, as Blair’s top adviser on Europe and as the permanent representative to the EU under Brown, that led to his vilification by Conservative Brexit supporters, who regard him as an arch Europhile.

Darroch, who grew up on a council estate and won a scholarship to the fee-paying Abingdon School, is described by those who know him as urbane and an accomplished host.

When he went to the White House soon after Donald Trump was inaugurated, according to Politico, the US president told Darroch he had seen him interviewed on Fox News and told him: “You’re going to be a TV star!”

For his part, Darroch told an audience at his official residence that he hoped the relationship between Trump and Theresa May would be like that between Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher.

Darroch’s soirees at the ambassador’s residence in Washington were occasions to see and be seen – especially for members of the Trump administration.



White House adviser Kellyanne Conway, Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin, commerce secretary Wilbur Ross and former White House press secretary Sarah Sanders were regular guests. Sanders also attended a private dinner a few months ago.



With an Andy Warhol screenprint of the Queen behind him, Darroch would make toasts at such events with plenty of quips. At one in March 2017 he observed dryly: “As you can imagine, my first year here as ambassador has been a dull old time.”



When Trump said this week he would no longer deal with Darroch, Maggie Haberman, White House correspondent for the New York Times, tweeted: “Hardest hit – the myriad Trump aides who went to Darroch parties and private meals (and invited him to their parties).”



Despite having been appointed when Hillary Clinton was thought likely to win the presidency, Darroch threw himself into courting Trump’s inner circle, “flooding the zone” of people in Trump’s orbit, hoping to gain influence through showing up and cultivating contacts. He also worked hard to court well connected American journalists so he could benefit from their insights. He recently dined with a team from CNN at the Capitol Hill restaurant Sonoma.



However, he was never particularly in favour with Trump himself, who publicly suggested that the then Ukip leader, Nigel Farage, should be May’s choice – forcing her spokesman to clarify that: “There is no vacancy. We have an excellent ambassador in Sir Kim Darroch.”

It may not have helped that a previous memo by Darroch was leaked to the Sunday Times in 2016 suggesting that Trump could be malleable and “open to outside influence if pitched right”.

Even so, he could never have imagined that his distinguished 40-year diplomatic career at the Foreign Office would end with the US president publicly volleying insults his way, calling him “a very stupid guy”, “wacky” and “pompous fool”.