UK leaders became too close to Trump, says ex-ambassador

Sir Peter Westmacott says pie in the sky promises' on post-Brexit trade distorted UK foreign policy

British prime ministers have been absent from the world stage for the past four years while becoming too close to Donald Trump and his pie in the sky promises" of a free trade deal, a former UK ambassador to Washington has said.

Sir Peter Westmacott, who was ambassador from 2012 to 2016 and got to know many of Joe Biden's foreign policy team when they were working for Barack Obama in that period, said the start of the new US administration gave Britain a chance for a diplomatic reset, so long as ministers bring bread to the table".