Trump admin insecure, says UK ambassador

LONDON, July 07 (BBC): The Trump administration has been labelled "inept", insecure and incompetent in leaked emails from the UK ambassador to Washington.

Sir Kim Darroch said that the White House was "uniquely dysfunctional" and "divided" under Donald Trump.

But he also warned that the US president should not be written off.

The Foreign Office said the leak of the memos to the Mail on Sunday was "mischievous" but did not deny their accuracy.

The White House has not yet responded to the revelation of the contents of the memos, but it could test the so-called "special relationship" between the US and UK.

In the messages, Sir Kim said: "We don't really believe this administration is going to become substantially more normal; less dysfunctional; less unpredictable; less faction-riven; less diplomatically clumsy and inept."

He questioned whether this White House "will ever look competent".

Although Sir Kim said Mr Trump was "dazzled" by his state visit to the UK in June, the ambassador warns that his administration will remain self-interested, adding: "This is still the land of America First".

Differences between the US and the UK on climate change, media freedoms and the death penalty might come to the fore as the countries seek to improve trading relations after Brexit, the memos said.

To get through to the president, "you need to make your points simple, even blunt", he said.

The leader of the Brexit party, Nigel Farage, has criticised Sir Kim for his comments, branding the ambassador "totally unsuitable for the job" and saying the "sooner he is gone the better".

However, Justice Secretary David Guake said it is very important that ambassadors give "honest and unvarnished advice to their country".

He said: "It is disgraceful that it's been leaked, but we should expect our ambassadors to tell the truth, as they see it."

In a message sent last month, Sir Kim branded US policy on Iran as "incoherent, chaotic".

Mr Trump's publicly stated reason for calling off an airstrike against Tehran with 10 minutes to go - that it would cause 150 casualties - "doesn't stand up", Sir Kim said.