Starmer to pick new US ambassador as relations with Trump tested
Keir Starmer is poised to choose a new ambassador to Washington from a shortlist of three as relations with the US are tested over Ukraine and Donald Trump’s attacks on European leaders.The prime minister held interviews with three finalists for the role this week, the Guardian has learned, with Downing Street preparing to make an appointment before the end of the year.The trio of candidates seen by Starmer were Varun Chandra, his business adviser who has helped negotiate a series of deals with the Trump administration, Christian Turner, a diplomat due to become ambassador to the UN, and Nigel Casey, the British ambassador to Russia.Whoever is chosen will be taking up the role at a critical stage in US-UK relations, with insiders warning of rising tensions over Ukraine and the White House’s pugnacious national security strategy.Chandra, a former managing partner at the corporate intelligence firm Hakluyt, has played a central role in negotiating bilateral deals with the US on trade, tech and pharmaceuticals and is seen as the frontrunner.
However, the Foreign Office is said to be pushing for a career diplomat to be chosen, with some insiders arguing this carries less political risk.Turner, who previously served as political director of the Foreign Office and high commissioner to Pakistan, and Casey, who has served as high commissioner to South Africa and private secretary for foreign affairs to David Cameron and Theresa May, are both highly regarded in Whitehall.Casey was a late entrant to the contest, with his addition seen as a sign that Downing Street was disappointed with the original list put forward by the Foreign Office.If the prime minister is not satisfied with any of the three candidates, he could decide to directly appoint someone else.Earlier this week Starmer met Warren Stephens, the US ambassador to the UK, in Downing Street to discuss implementing the trade and tech deals announced earlier this year.
Starmer has cultivated a strong personal relationship with Trump but this is constantly being tested by their major policy differences, including on green energy and cultural issues,Relations between the US and Europe are being severely strained by Trump’s growing impatience at the continuation of the war in Ukraine,The US president has been pressuring Kyiv to cede territory in order to bring the conflict to a speedy end, and has told Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, that he wants a peace deal done by Christmas,European leaders including Starmer are due to hold a fresh set of crisis talks in Berlin on Monday to discuss the US-brokered peace proposal, amid concerns that it is too favourable to Moscow,Meanwhile, senior British MPs rounded on the Trump administration this week over its national security strategy, which said Europe was facing “civilisational erasure” and hailed the growing influence of “patriotic European parties”.
Trump stepped up his attacks in an interview this week, suggesting that many European states would “not be viable countries any longer” unless they change their border policies and crack down on immigration.Starmer and his ministers have been careful not to criticise Trump over the document or his interventions, while insisting that Europe is strong and investing more in its own defence.The US ambassador role fell vacant in September after Peter Mandelson was sacked for failing to disclose the extent of his ties with the paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.Documents and emails published that month disclosed that Mandelson had expressed his love and support for Epstein, and urged him to “fight for early release” in 2008, while the financier was facing charges of soliciting sex from minors.The episode was damaging to Starmer, as it emerged that he had been briefed on details of Mandelson’s friendship with Epstein as well as other “reputational risks” before choosing him.
Brendon McCullum backs England batters and shrugs off job questions
The series is on the line and, in all likelihood, jobs with it. But for Brendon McCullum, the latter is irrelevant. The England head coach has instead backed an unchanged top seven to deliver a fightback in the third Ashes Test and flip a narrative that has already led to talk of a whitewash bubbling up.At 2-0 down with three to play, all wiggle room has disappeared for England. But talk of Ollie Pope being dropped, or even Ben Stokes moving to No 3, was shot down by McCullum as his players resumed training in Adelaide on Sunday afternoon
Paul Lim, 71, becomes oldest player to win match at PDC World Championship
Paul Lim made World Darts Championship history at Alexandra Palace – and then hoped lightning would strike twice against Luke Humphries.Lim became the oldest player to win a match at the event as the Singaporean, who turns 72 next month, defeated Jeffrey de Graaf 3-1 to extend his own record set in 2020. On that occasion he overcame Humphries and the pair are reunited in round two after the world No 2 produced eight 180s in crushing Ted Evetts 3-1.Lim regards his victory over Humphries five years ago as a bigger achievement than setting a new age record for the tournament and is an admirer of his next opponent. “I thought it would be really uncanny if I was to meet Luke Humphries again,” he said
Saracens fall just short in South Africa as Sharks survive Champions Cup storm
It is a long way to go for just a point, but Saracens all but took the maximum against Sharks in biblical weather in Durban. Now that South Africa has been incorporated into the Champions Cup, these long trips are part and parcel. It meant Saracens changing 10 of their starting lineup. It meant Sharks changing 14 – and a head coach to boot.JP Pietersen, the former Springbok, stepped up to fill his new role this week when John Plumtree resigned after the Sharks’ heavy defeat in Toulouse on Sunday
Racing honours Hunt family as outsider Glengouly hits jackpot at Cheltenham
This was an afternoon at the track when the big-race result was secondary to the cause it was supporting. For Faye Bramley it also marked a huge step forward in her training career as Glengouly, a 33-1 outsider, made all the running to win the Support the Hunt Family Fund December Gold Cup.The Hunt Family Fund was set up by the BBC racing commentator, John Hunt, and his daughter, Amy, after the murder of his wife, Carol, and daughters, Hannah and Louise, to raise awareness of violence against women and support causes relating to young women.Saturday’s race, the traditional feature of the December meeting, came at the end of a series of events over the past week, including a dinner and auction at Cheltenham on Thursday, which has raised nearly £500,000.Hunt called the race as usual for Radio 5 Live, and said afterwards that, like most of those watching from the stands, he had expected Glengouly to be swallowed up by either Jagwar, the 11-4 favourite, or Vincenzo, the 7-2 second-favourite, after the turn for home
Lindsey Vonn second at St Moritz a day after historic World Cup win
At 41, Lindsey Vonn is no longer defying expectations so much as resetting them. One day after becoming the oldest woman to win a World Cup race, the American came within a quarter-second of doing it again, finishing second in Saturday’s downhill at St Moritz behind Germany’s Emma Aicher.Less than 24 hours after rewriting the World Cup age record, Vonn briefly looked on course for another victory as she surged ahead of Italy’s Sofia Goggia on the sunlit Corviglia course. But Aicher, skiing immediately after her, attacked the increasingly rutted track and edged Vonn by 0.24 seconds to deny her a rare opening-weekend double
England caught up in Ashes media fallout over security guard’s row with TV crew
England’s embattled tour of Australia suffered a public relations setback on Saturday as the result of a testy altercation between a member of security staff and a local camera operator at Brisbane airport.In footage released by Channel Seven, England’s minder Colin Rhooms is heard repeatedly telling the camera operator Nick Carrigan to “get out of my face, mate” and eventually pushing him back as he attempted to film players in transit.The team were en route to Adelaide for the third Ashes Test that starts on Wednesday, with Channel Seven, the host broadcaster, later defending its crew’s conduct and suggesting the matter could be taken further.“While conducting routine filming in a public space, the camera operator was physically confronted despite acting respectfully and professionally,’’ a spokesperson told Code Sports. “The safety and wellbeing of our staff is paramount
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