Britain's second most senior diplomat in Washington, James Roscoe, has abruptly left his post. Roscoe had served as deputy head of mission at the British embassy since 2022 and stood in as interim ambassador after the sacking of Peter Mandelson. The UK government provided no reason for his sudden departure, which comes amid an investigation into the leak of discussions at a meeting of the UK's national security council.
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: "James Roscoe has left his post." No further explanation was given. Roscoe was among those tipped for the ambassadorial role after Mandelson was removed over his links to convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The posting ultimately went to another career diplomat, Christian Turner.
Leak Investigation
Senior officials at the embassy are said to have been questioned as part of an investigation after reports this year of cabinet splits at a national security council meeting over allowing the US to use British bases for strikes against Iran. Those discussions are protected by the Official Secrets Act, and a leak from the national security council is considered a serious breach. In 2019, then-Prime Minister Theresa May sacked Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson over a leak.
Justice Secretary David Lammy ordered an investigation into the apparent leak. The Spectator reported that Prime Minister Keir Starmer suggested allowing the US to use the bases for defensive strikes against Iranian targets at the meeting last Friday but faced opposition from Ed Miliband, Rachel Reeves, Yvette Cooper, and Shabana Mahmood. The report was subsequently picked up by several media outlets.
Roscoe's Diplomatic Career
As charge d'affaires to the US, Roscoe played a key role in Donald Trump's state visit to the UK in September 2025. More recently, as second in charge at the embassy, he was involved in the king's state visit to the US to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence.
Before moving to Washington, Roscoe served as the UK ambassador to the UN and previously served as communications chief to the late Queen Elizabeth II from 2013 to 2016. He also served as chief press officer in Downing Street for Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. His earlier diplomatic postings included the UN, Sierra Leone, and Iraq.
Roscoe was reported to have seen himself as being on the operational side of "cleaning up the mess" in terms of smoothing relations with the White House, rather than acting as a figurehead of UK relations.
