Kim Darroch's resignation should concern us all

We are facing extremely dangerous historical echoes when we undermine the value and independence of the civil and diplomatic service, the press, the courts and parliament in providing checks and balances to those in power and to hold government to account. We undermine these institutions and experts in general at our peril, particularly at a time of global instability and fragile states.Last week, the UK's ambassador to the US, Sir Kim Darroch, was forced to resign after our likely future Prime Minister – Boris Johnson – refused to support the ambassador for doing his job and giving his view on the state of the US President's administration. This matters.The role of a diplomatic service is to report to government their honest assessment of nations we have a relationship with. And any responsible would-be leader should welcome and support that impartial service, rather than allowing them to be subject to a foreign president's tirades. This incident concerns me because of what it says about the nature of the UK's likely next Prime Minister. In refusing to support Kim Darroch (and thereby implicitly prioritising his relationship with Donald Trump), combined with his refusal to face public scrutiny without pomp and bluster – Boris Johnson is revealing himself to be a leader who seeks to undermine the institutions that could support good governance, and that can put a check on his desire for power.These are not the values of a responsible Prime Minister. And we should all resist these worrying trends that – in the end – only undermine all our democratic rights.

Posted by Thangam Debbonaire MP for Bristol West on Tuesday, July 16, 2019