PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer has appointed his business adviser Varun Chandra as special envoy to the United States on trade and investment, his office said on Friday.
“Chandra will lead work across government to advance the UK’s economic interests in the United States and drive forward trade and investment opportunities in both countries,” Starmer’s office said in a statement.
The appointment comes at a time of tensions between Britain and the United States over president Donald Trump’s pursuit of Greenland, his comments on NATO troops staying off the front line in Afghanistan, and his Board of Peace initiative.
Chandra will work alongside diplomat Christian Turner, who was named last month to replace former ambassador to Washington Peter Mandelson. Mandelson was dismissed in September following emails he sent in support of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Sources told Reuters that Chandra, who had also interviewed for the ambassador role in Washington, will be based in Britain and will travel regularly to the United States. Turner is expected to arrive in the United States next week, one source said.
The appointment formalises a role Chandra has already been carrying out as a key contact with senior US officials, including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, a source said to Reuters.
Chandra played a role in helping facilitate more than $10 billion in economic deals announced during Trump’s state visit to Britain in September.
Lutnick shared a photograph with Chandra on X last month, writing: “Always great to be with Varun Chandra. He is an excellent representative of Great Britain and a trusted friend. Our partnership is deep and the future looks bright.”
Chandra joined Starmer’s team in July 2024 after spending a decade at strategic advisory firm Hakluyt & Co and has links with U.S. business leaders, including JPMorgan Chase chief executive Jamie Dimon, the source said.
Bloomberg first reported the appointment.
(With inputs from Reuters)
