British diplomat James Roscoe leaves posting at Washington embassy | Foreign policy

A diplomat in Washington who served as interim ambassador following the dismissal of Peter Mandelson has abruptly left his post.

In a brief statement, a State Department spokesman said: “James Roscoe has resigned from his position.” No further official announcement was made on Tuesday night regarding the departure of Roscoe, who has served as deputy head of mission at the British embassy since 2022.

Roscoe was among those recommended for the top job following Mandelson’s ouster due to Mandelson’s links to pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein. The post ultimately went to Christian Turner.

Roscoe, the US chargé d’affaires, played a key role in Donald Trump’s official visit to the UK in September 2025.

More recently, as second in command of the embassy, ​​he took part in the king’s state visit to the United States to celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence.

Before moving to Washington, he was the United Kingdom’s ambassador to the UN and was previously a member of the late Queen Elizabeth II. He served as Elizabeth’s chief of communications.

He also served as Downing Street’s press officer to prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.

Roscoe’s previous diplomatic assignments included the UN, Sierra Leone and Iraq.