Jeremy Hunt has tried to end the war of words between Donald Trump and Britain’s ambassador in Washington. But his open warning to the US president – that Trump’s foul-mouthed broadsides against Sir Kim Darroch are “disrespectful and wrong to our Prime Minister and my country” – is bound to backfire. Instead of calming the situation, Hunt is pouring more fuel onto the fire. Trump lobbing another grenade across the pond later in the day is now virtually guaranteed.
Of course, as Foreign Secretary, Hunt has a responsibility to defend his employees. In a distant second place to Boris Johnson in the Tory leadership contest, Hunt may have also calculated that standing up to the American bully will score him points among Tory members as a patriotic Brit who loves his country.
But if Hunt thinks a brushback will get Trump to keep quiet and move on, he is sorely mistaken.
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