- Business adviser steps into formal Washington-facing role
- Appointment comes amid strain in UK–US relations
- Trade and private investment set as priorities
British prime minister Keir Starmer has appointed his senior business adviser Varun Chandra as a special envoy to the US, with a brief centred on trade ties and private sector investment, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The role formalises work Chandra has already been doing behind the scenes, acting as a key link between London and Washington. He is expected to be based in Britain and travel frequently to the US, the sources reportedly said.
The appointment comes at a delicate moment in UK–US relations, marked by disagreements linked to Donald Trump’s comments on Greenland, NATO deployments in Afghanistan and his Board of Peace initiative. Against this backdrop, Chandra’s remit is said to focus on keeping commercial dialogue moving, even as political tensions linger.
Chandra will work closely with Christian Turner, who was named last month to lead Britain’s diplomatic mission in Washington following the departure of Peter Mandelson. Turner is expected to arrive in the US next week, one of the sources reportedly said.
According to people familiar with the discussions, Chandra has been liaising with senior US officials including commerce secretary Howard Lutnick, treasury secretary Scott Bessent, energy secretary Chris Wright and US trade representative Jamieson Greer.
From adviser to envoy
Chandra is said to have played a central role in helping broker economic agreements worth more than £8 billion ($10 billion) announced during Trump’s state visit to Britain in September, as quoted in a news report. His growing visibility was underlined when Lutnick shared a photograph with him on X last month, calling Chandra “an excellent representative of Great Britain”, as quoted in a news report.
He joined Starmer’s government in July 2024 after more than a decade at Hakluyt & Co, and is reported to have close links with US business leaders, including Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase.
News of the appointment was first reported by Bloomberg. The government has not made a public statement, and the precise scope of the envoy role is still expected to evolve.
