New Zealand’s High Commissioner to the UK, Phil Goff, has been dismissed after questioning former U.S. President Donald Trump’s understanding of history during an event at Chatham House in London.
Speaking at the international think tank on Tuesday, Goff referenced Winston Churchill’s 1938 remarks criticizing British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s appeasement of Adolf Hitler, drawing a parallel to Trump’s approach to ending the Russia-Ukraine war.
Foreign Minister Winston Peters announced Goff’s dismissal, stating that diplomats must represent government policy and avoid personal opinions on international matters. He emphasized that similar remarks about Germany, France, Tonga, or Samoa would have led to the same action.
The move has sparked criticism, with former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark calling it a “thin excuse” for firing a respected diplomat. Clark noted that many at the Munich Security Conference have made similar historical comparisons.
