U.K. P.M. Starmer taps Christian Turner for U.S. ambassador
by Mike Heuer · UPIDec. 18 (UPI) -- Career diplomat Christian Turner is British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's choice to serve as the United Kingdom's ambassador to the United States.
Turner replaces former ambassador Peter Mandelson, who was recalled in September amid fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.
Officials in Britain's Foreign Office sought an experienced diplomat capable of working with the Trump administration, according to The Guardian.
Relations between President Donald Trump's administration and the United Kingdom have been strained due to Trump's criticism of European nations regarding NATO and other matters.
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Starmer and Trump also have differed regarding efforts to end the Ukraine War that started when Russia invaded its neighbor on Feb. 24, 2022, and efforts to seek a lasting peace in the Middle East, the Independent reported.
In addition to briefly serving as U.N. ambassador, Turner also has served as the Foreign Office's political director and was U.K. ambassador to Pakistan.
He has worked with many U.K. foreign secretaries and is considered to be an effective and trusted adviser.
Turner's new post requires him to move from New York City, where the United Nations is headquartered, to Washington, D.C.
He might be an essential part of easing tensions over the BBC's recent editing of Trump's Jan. 6, 2021, comments to supporters ahead of the Capitol riot, which it included in a recent documentary.
The president has filed a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC.
Turner also could be tasked with easing tensions between Trump and London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan.
The president has called Khan "disgusting" and a "disaster" for his policies and their effect on Great Britain's capital city.