One of the high points at this year’s BridLit has to be the appearance of Lord Darroch who, as the British Ambassador to the US, was scorned by a furious Donald Trump last year.

Just days after the presidential elections take place in America, he will be in conversation with former West Dorset MP Sir Oliver Letwin on Saturday 7 November at The Electric Palace.

Lord Darroch resigned his post on in July 2019 following the leak of diplomatic cables in which he had been critical of the Trump administration.

At the time, the US President tweeted: ‘The wacky ambassador that the UK foisted on the United States is not someone we are thrilled with, a very stupid guy … We will no longer deal with him.’

Kim Darroch is one of the UK’s most experienced and respected diplomats, and his book, Collateral Damage, is an unvarnished, behind-the-scenes account revealing the inside story behind his resignation. It describes the challenges of dealing with the Trump White House and offers a diplomat’s perspective on Brexit and how it looked to Britain’s closest ally.

In the book he explains why the British Embassy expected a Trump victory from as early as February 2016, what part every key figure – from Steve Bannon to Sarah Sanders – has played in Trump’s administration, and what balanced policy makers on both sides of the Atlantic should consider during this era of seismic change and populist politics.

Described by the publishers as ‘a riveting account from the best-informed insider’, Collateral Damage charts the strangest and most convulsive period in the recent history of Britain and the US – and shows how 30 months threatened to overturn three centuries of history.

Lord Darroch in conversation at BridLit with Sir Oliver Letwin is bound to be a popular event. The topic and timing could not be more interesting.

Keep safe.

Margery.