James Roscoe: Deputy British ambassador in Washington abruptly leaves post
A high-flying British diplomat in Washington has suddenly left his post.
An official statement has not yet been made regarding the departure of James Roscoe, who served as interim ambassador following the dismissal of Lord Peter Mandelson and has served as deputy head of mission at the British Embassy since 2022.
Lord Mandelson was reportedly among those nominated for the senior diplomatic role after he was sacked over his links to pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, but the post ultimately went to Sir Christian Turner.
As US chargé d’affaires, Mr Roscoe played a key role in Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK last September.
More recently, as the embassy’s second-in-command, he took part in the King’s last US state visit to celebrate the 250th anniversary of America’s independence.
Before moving to Washington, he was the United Kingdom’s ambassador to the United Nations 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.
Mr. Roscoe’s previous diplomatic assignments included the UN, Sierra Leone and Iraq.
In a brief statement, a State Department spokesman said: “James Roscoe has resigned from his position.”
