New Zealand dismissed its ambassador to the United Kingdom, Phil Goff, on Thursday after he made comments seen as critical of United States President Donald Trump, the country’s Foreign Minister, Winston Peters, said.
Phil Goff spoke at a forum in London on Tuesday, where he seemed to question Trump’s understanding of history. He compared Trump’s efforts to improve ties with Russia to Britain’s Prime Minister, Winston Churchill.
Churchill was Prime Minister of Britain during World War II and fought against Nazi Germany while allying with Soviet Russia.
“President Trump has restored the bust of Churchill to the Oval Office. But do you think he really understands history?” Goff said during a panel with Finland’s Foreign Minister, Elina Valtonen.
New Zealand’s Foreign Minister, Winston Peters, said in a statement on Thursday that Goff’s comments were “deeply disappointing”.
He emphasised that Goff’s remarks did not represent the views of the New Zealand government and made his position as High Commissioner to London untenable.
Goff is a former Foreign Minister and lawmaker in the centre-left Labour Party. He was appointed as ambassador to the UK in 2023.
Content retrieved from: https://www.firstpost.com/world/new-zealand-ambassador-to-uk-questions-trumps-grasp-of-history-loses-job-13869111.html.
