Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross abruptly canceled a long-planned meeting with Britain's Secretary of State for International Trade Liam Fox Tuesday because the British Ambassador to the U.S. Kim Darroch was also due to attend.

A Trump administration source said that the meeting was jettisoned because of the row over leaked secret cables from Darroch that described President Trump as "inept" and "incompetent." The source said that it showed the rift between the Trump administration over the leaks was "a real thing" and growing.

The source said that Ross has been on personally "warm and friendly" terms with Darroch, who has been ambassador since January 2016, sitting down for dinner with him only a few days ago. The cancellation of the meeting calls into question the ability of Darroch, 65, to do his job and could hasten his recall to London.

A Commerce Department spokesman told the Washington Examiner: "The department is working to reschedule today’s meeting to a mutually agreeable time.” The spokesman declined to comment further.

On Monday, Darroch's invitation to a White House dinner was rescinded. On Tuesday morning, hours before the planned meeting with Ross, Trump mocked Darroch via Twitter, describing him as a "pompous guy" and a "very stupid fool."

President Trump said Sunday Darroch had “not served the UK well” by writing in official cables to London, subsequently leaked to the public, that the White House was “uniquely dysfunctional” and “inept." He added: "We are not big fans of that man … I can say things about him, but I won’t bother."

Fox, a longtime ally of Washington conservatives, has criticized the leaks but defended Darroch, saying he was "held in high regard." He told BBC Radio Monday: "It’s not a problem with the ambassador. This a problem with the ethics of the individual who carried out this particular leak."

Darroch, a former British national security adviser and ambassador to the European Union, was due to leave his post at the end of the year and to retire.