Who Will Be Keir Starmer's Ambassador To The US?

Alongside the tight race to the White House, the coveted job of UK ambassador to the US is up for grabs. Harriet Symonds finds out who’s in the running for the job and digs into how Labour is preparing for a renewed special relationship with the US. 

As tension mounts ahead of what looks set to be one of the tightest US presidential elections of modern times, a British sub-plot is also unfolding.

Keir Starmer, faced with a decision on who to appoint as the next UK ambassador to Washington, has sensibly postponed the choice until after 5 November.

The appointment sits at the top of a wider set of decisions on how Starmer will seek to manage a relationship critical to UK interests and fraught with risk.

Investigating the dilemma it becomes clear that the new Prime Minister wants to make the ambassador appointment quickly after the election.

In the event of a Harris-Walz victory, sources suspect a political appointment would be the most attractive option for Labour. Among the names being floated are David Miliband, Baroness Cathy Ashton, Baroness Valerie Amos and Jonathan Powell. Lord Mandelson was in the running but has ruled himself out.

“If I had to place a bet now, I’d bet on David Miliband,” predicts one senior career diplomat of what would happen if Trump lost.

“It’s possible,” adds a senior Labour figure now advising David Lammy’s team on foreign policy. “He’s certainly well-placed, particularly if the Democrats were to win.”

A former foreign secretary under Gordon Brown and brother of Ed Miliband, David Miliband has been residing in New York since 2013, heading up the International Rescue Committee. Sources speculate that with Labour now back in government the old ‘heir to Blair’ is looking for a way back into the fold and