Mark Sedwill’s prospects of becoming the UK’s ambassador in Washington have taken a blow after officials raised concerns about an article he wrote in 2021 praising Joe Biden and criticising Donald Trump.
The former cabinet secretary and national security adviser has emerged as the frontrunner in the race to succeed Peter Mandelson in Washington. But some in government are worried about an article he wrote four years ago in which he made several criticisms of Trump after he lost the 2020 presidential election to Biden.
The concerns reflect divides in Whitehall over how to manage the relationship with a volatile White House after the brief but eventful tenure of Lord Mandelson, who was one of the few overtly political holders of the role.
In the article Lord Sedwill wrote for the Daily Mail in 2021, he described being involved in Trump’s first official visit to the UK while working in Downing Street under Theresa May.
He wrote: “It was the morning after a sumptuous dinner at Blenheim Palace, an evening designed to be on a grand scale to impress a visiting American president. But instead of smiles, there were horrified expressions on the face of Downing Street colleagues as we read an interview in which Mr Trump rubbished Mrs May’s tactics in her Brexit negotiations with the European Union, blundering unapologetically into the most sensitive issue in British politics.”
Sedwill was referring to an interview Trump gave to the Sun just before his trip in which the president said: “I actually told Theresa May how to do [Brexit] but she didn’t agree, she didn’t listen to me.”
Donald Trump in the Oval Office with Peter Mandelson. Photograph: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images
Sedwill also wrote about Trump’s European visit as a whole, touching on the 6 January attack on the US Capitol by the president’s supporters – a very sensitive issue for him.
“The whole European visit provided a stark example of Mr Trump’s capriciousness with allies, behaviour which culminated in attacking his loyal vice-president this month during the assault he incited on the US Capitol,” Sedwill wrote.
“There is relief in western capitals that normal diplomatic relationships will be restored once Joe Biden is inaugurated as the 46th president tomorrow. Those of us who regard ourselves as close American allies have badly missed US leadership over the past four years.”
Sedwill, who became a crossbench peer in 2020, did not comment when approached about the piece.
His is among a number of names floated as possible replacements for Mandelson. He is understood not to be planning to submit an application for the post but has not ruled out considering it if approached by Downing Street.
His experience at the top of government, which he left in 2020, has marked him out as one of the most qualified candidates for the role.
US officials are understood not to have flagged concerns about the 2021 article but British aides are concerned that it could prove a flashpoint.
Earlier this week, Australian officials watched with horror as Trump castigated their ambassador, Kevin Rudd, live on camera for criticisms he had made of the president. “I don’t like you either,” Trump said to laughter from the US and Australian delegations. “And I probably never will.”
Others being talked about as potential successors to Mandelson include: Varun Chandra, the prime minister’s business adviser; Clive Alderton, King Charles’s private secretary; and Christian Turner, a political director of the Foreign Office.
The Guardian has learned that Antonia Romeo, the permanent secretary at the Home Office, and Ed Llewellyn, a former aide to David Cameron and now a diplomat, are also in the running.
Applications close within days, with James Roscoe, the deputy head of mission, filling the position until an appointment is made.
