In July 2019 he was sitting in his muggy office, looking forward to a holiday, when his chief of staff appeared at the doorway. Kim Darroch recounts the events which led to his resignation as UK ambassador in Washington in droll style. Darroch and his team had to win the confidence of the exotic cast of characters peopling Planet Trump, learn their very different ways of doing business, and then advise ministers on how to protect Britain’s vital security and economic links with the US amid all the sound and fury. It would have meant a few awkward weeks for the embassy, but nothing worse. For such a senior diplomat, these memoirs are surprisingly candid about Mr Darroch's time in Washington and, just as interesting, how he got there. Both Johnson and Trump are also now discovering that campaigning is not the same as governing, and that what matters during a pandemic is not a good slogan but successful implementation of a clear strategy. In his memoir, Collateral Damage: Britain, America and Europe in the Age of Trump, ex-British Ambassador to the United States Kim Darroch ruefully notes that on 28 February, 2020, the TV quiz show Jeopardy! For such a senior diplomat, these memoirs are surprisingly candid about Mr Darroch's time in Washington and. Kim Darroch was the UK ambassador to the US for almost four years, resigning in December 2019 following a high profile leak of documents in which he was reported to be critical of President Trump. In effect, he hung Darroch out to dry. The book is notably free of the score-settling rancour of Christopher Meyer’s 2006 book DC Confidential. Failing to get into the fast stream, he joined at a lower grade and rose to the top on sheer merit, giving the lie to the lazy ­stereotype of the FCO as a bastion of privilege. clumsy and inept.” Trump responded by tweeting, “We will no longer deal with him,” and the Conservative politician Boris Johnson—at the time in a fight for leadership of his party and likely seeking to distinguish himself from other aspirants—refused to support Darroch. At one of the early sessions, Kushner commented: “We’re businessmen and we’re going to do things differently.” That was certainly true. "@realDonaldTrump: The wacky ambassador that the UK foisted on the United States is not someone we are thrilled with, a very stupid guy ... We will no longer deal with him." But that relationship was never going to prosper. Kim Darroch is one of the UK's most experienced and respected diplomats, and this unvarnished, behind-the-scenes account will reveal the inside story behind his resignation; describe the challenges of dealing with the Trump White House; and offer a diplomat's perspective on Brexit and how it … When Kim Darroch described Donald Trump's White House as "inept" and "deeply dysfunctional," an international scandal ensued. did collateral damage to the interests of both countries. American fascism is a deadly threat – it must be confronted now. Collateral Damage : Britain, America and Europe in the Age of Trump - - - ... Kim Darroch was British Ambassador to the US as the age of Trump dawned and Brexit unfolded. Above all, it is a journal of four extraordinary years which changed the US, starting in the foothills of the 2016 election campaign, and is full of revealing anecdotes reflecting the unique access that a British ambassador has to all the leading characters. He made his reputation as an EU specialist in two critical roles: EU adviser to the prime minister in the Tony Blair era, then permanent representative in Brussels. just as interesting, how he got there. There are many parallels between the forces that produced Brexit and Trump. Get the latest book reviews delivered bi-weekly. Both used the politics of identity and the power of social media to sow division and fire up their base. Collateral Damage book. By A riveting account told from the room where it happened: insider Kim Darroch, former UK Ambassador to the US, charts the strangest and most convulsive period in the history of the special relationship. Kim Darroch was the UK ambassador to the US for almost four years, resigning in December 2019 following a high profile leak of documents in which he was reported to be critical of President Trump. A middling graduate in zoology from a regional university, he entered the Foreign Office with no special promise. 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