Then-Ambassador Pierce and senior U.K. embassy aide Senay Bulbul, both of whom were credited with building good links with MAGA figures, were also in attendance at the Palm Beach meeting.
Pierce herself discussed the diplomatic matter with Mike Waltz, who briefly served as Trump’s national security adviser, but did not attempt to escalate any concerns as a result of their conversation, an email in the tranche of documents shows.
McSweeney, a close ally of Mandelson, remained an advocate for the Labour veteran long after the meeting and even until the day he was fired, according to contemporary accounts. McSweeney could not be reached for comment.
By January 2025, any major concerns appear to have been allayed. An email from Olly Robbins, the top civil servant at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, to Downing Street indicated that Pierce had spoken to Waltz and there was “no suggestion that Peter’s nomination was an issue” for Trump.
Starmer apologized again for the debacle last week, saying “it was me that made a mistake” in deciding that the former business secretary should become the U.K.’s top diplomat in Washington.