She played a key role in recent interactions between Trump and the British government before Starmer’s election, and helped secure a phone call between the new prime minister and Trump after the latter was shot in July during the first of two assassination attempts.

Piercing insight

Pierce is helped by Senay Bulbul, political advisor at the embassy. Two people with knowledge of the operation say Bulbul was instrumental in the Trump team’s breakthrough, which led to a dinner for Starmer and Lammy at Trump Tower while they attended the General Assembly. United Nations in New York in September.

When the previous government led by Rishi Sunak decided to appoint the UK’s outgoing national security adviser, Tim Barrow, as Pierce’s successor, Pierce resisted the change and ultimately won his case, according to two people involved in the matter. the process.

She is expected to stay in Washington until early next year, but given the election result, she is now expected to stay in office longer to smooth relations with the Trump administration. A prolonged formal extension, however, would be unusual.

Oft-discussed plans to install a Starmer political ally, such as Tony Blair’s former lieutenants Peter Mandelson or David Miliband, remain on the table, but will be more complicated without Harris in the White House.

Alternatives are difficult to identify. Many Labor politicians have been disparaging of Trump, while former UK Ambassador Kim Darroch resigned in 2019 following leaked cables in which he called the first Trump administration a “incompetent”. No. 10 will be careful not to offend the president again.