The row has led to speculation that Keir Starmer, the Labor leader, might even ask for a repeat of the appointment process if he becomes Britain's next leader.
Asked if the handoff proved unusually busy, Pierce deployed a crooked guillotine on Thursday. “The State Department is very boring for two things and two things only,” she said. “One of them is that it doesn't reveal the content of diplomatic talks and we don't comment on future meetings.”
But she paid tribute to congressional officials for supporting the transfer of $61 billion in US aid to Ukraine. The package, which was part of a wider array of support for Israel and Taiwan, was signed by Biden this week. “The central message that will give Ukraine a huge psychological boost,” Pierce said, “is that America is behind her and Congress is behind her, and our will to support Ukraine is unwavering.”
“So I salute the congressional leadership in the House and the Senate on both sides of the aisle … and it's a collective expression of our determination to push back against President Putin's ambitions.”
Asked how he felt in Washington about the vacillation of British politics over the past two years – including three prime ministers in the space of three months – the ambassador was diplomatic.
“There was a bit of a wry smile on the faces of some American politicians when we had such a quick turnover of prime ministers, because that's not what you think of when you think of British politics,” she reflected. “On the contrary, you're thinking of something fixed that doesn't change much over the years. But we got through it all.”
