Britain appointed its current UN envoy as the next ambassador to the United States on Friday after London's previous top diplomat in Washington resigned over comments about President Donald Trump.
Downing Street said Karen Pierce would replace Kim Darroch, who quit over leaked diplomatic cables in which he criticised Trump as "inept" and said the White House was "uniquely dysfunctional". The appointment has been keenly watched to fill a vacuum left by Darroch's departure in July last year, and as Britain and the United States prepare for talks over a post-Brexit trade deal.
Pierce, a career diplomat who has previously served in Washington as private secretary to the British ambassador between 1992 and 1996, is the first woman to hold the post. Foreign minister Dominic Raab called her "an outstanding diplomat" and said the appointment came at a time of "huge opportunity" for the historically close nations.
Trump, who hit out at Darroch, calling him "a very stupid guy", is reported to be a fan of Pierce, once calling her "fab", according to the Daily Mail. But she will still have to navigate a tricky series of spats that have recently dented the so-called "special relationship".
The main bone of contention has been Britain's decision to allow Chinese firm Huawei limited access to run Britain's new 5G network, against Trump's wishes it be barred completely. The US president was reported by the Financial Times to be "apoplectic" during a recent phone call with Prime Minister Boris Johnson, although a Downing Street official told AFP that they did not recognise that report.
Other rows have erupted over the US's refusal to extradite the wife of a diplomat wanted for questioning over a fatal car crash and the Iran nuclear deal, which Trump has abandoned. Pierce, 60, said she was "honoured to have been asked to represent the UK in the US" and played down the recent disagreements.
"I think it is the UK's single most important relationship," she said, adding "there is a deep bond between Britain and the US, built on many pillars". In a statement, she promised to "strengthen and even further deepen the special relationship between our two countries and peoples".
Pierce, who has been praised for her straight-talking, has been Britain's envoy to the UN in New York since March 2018 - again the first woman in that role. She has served various roles in the Foreign Office in London, and apparently impressed prime minister Johnson when he was foreign secretary, the Daily Mail said. Pierce, from Lancashire in northwest England, was also Britain's ambassador to Afghanistan from 2015 to 2016.