The appointment of Christian Turner as British ambassador to the US , is a major  shift from political to career diplomat for Washington DC (Britain’s most important diplomatic post).

Turner’s last foreign diplomatic posting before he went  back to the Foreign  Office  in London  was in Kenya, where as High Commissioner he once  warned Kenyans not to elect Uhu-Ruto, and even used  the phrase  “choices have consequences.”

Unlike his predecessor Mandelson  who was fired after being implicated in Epstein pedophile scandal, Turner is a career  diplomat. 

At times Britain appoints  politicians as  Ambassadors to Washington because  it is normally assumed that they can blend  political strategy with national interest. Also they  can leverage their political experiences to advance specific goals.

For instance  Mandelson who had previously served as minister for trade and industry was appointed British Ambassador to the US on the assumption that he could use his experience and connections in Washington to help the UK secure trade opportunities with the US.

Turner is the right man for the job, considering the faltering relations between  the US and  UK, especially  after Trump came to power. London will be banking on his diplomatic experience to handle the turmoil of Donald Trump’s administration in order to maintain  and strengthen  the long-standing partnership between the two countries.

What makes Washington DC to be UK’s most important diplomatic post , is that it gives the  ambassador  access to high-level Intelligence and the opportunity to influence the world’s most powerful country.