Britain has appointed veteran diplomat Karen Pierce as its new ambassador to the United States.
Pierce will replace Kim Darroch, who was forced to quit the post in 2019 after a damaging leak of diplomatic cables revealed his criticisms of President Donald Trump.
Pierce will arrive in Washington, D.C., with the Trump administration at loggerheads with London over the role of Chinese firm Huawei in the next-generation 5G cellular networks, as well as a planned United Kingdom digital tax. Pierce has also made a point of publicly supporting Greta Thunberg’s climate activism, another potential source of tension with the Trump White House.
Conversely, the two countries are both committed to quickly negotiating a free trade deal in the wake of Britain leaving the European Union.
Formerly the U.K.’s ambassador to the United Nations and its security council representative, Pierce said she was “honored” to take the job.
While known publicly for her flamboyant style, Pierce is highly regarded in the British diplomatic system for her policy skills.
“There is a deep bond between Britain and the U.S., built on many pillars,” she added.
Pierce faces a challenging long-term trend: the U.K.’s declining influence in DC. While Britain remains in the top tier of American relationships, and its residence is a center-piece of the Washington diplomatic social scene, the country has battled Barack Obama’s “pivot to Asia”, and the Trump administration’s “America First” policy for more than a decade now.
While known publicly for her flamboyant style, Pierce is highly regarded in the British diplomatic system for her policy skills.
“The Americans will be pleased,” said former Conservative U.K. foreign secretary Malcolm Rifkind. “She is highly respected and has been a success at the U.N., where she is seen as robust.”
Former U.K. Americas Minister Alan Duncan had advice for those meeting with Pierce in the new job: “She’s no pushover.”
A British diplomat who worked with Pierce in her U.N. role. described her as “a massive foreign policy heavyweight” who is “going to want to have direct relationships with every single person of importance in the administration. She wants influence via relationships, it’s classic diplomacy and she has a real talent for it.”
The Washington cocktail circuit is likely to warm to Pierce, who wears her heart on her sleeve, and makes a point of intentional dressing: from rainbow head-dress at World Pride, to wearing stilettos in conflict zones. The biographical website Who’s Who lists “collecting ceramics” and “fridge magnets” among her hobbies.
The posting will not be Pierce’s first in Washington: she served as private secretary to Ambassador Robin Renwick from 1992 to 1995. In addition to two tours serving at the U.N. in New York, which included a stint as president of the U.N. Security Council, Pierce was Britain’s ambassador to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Charlie Cooper and Emilio Casalicchio contributed to this report.