The Foreign Office has launched an inquiry into the "unprecedented" leak of classified diplomatic cables about President Donald Trump's White House, which have prompted claims of a politically motivated attack on Britain's diplomatic service.
The memos provide an unvarnished view of the White House under Mr Trump, with Sir Kim Darroch, the UK's incumbent ambassador to the US, describing the administration as "uniquely dysfunctional", "divided" and "inept".
The leak follows disclosures earlier this year from the secretive National Security Council about government deliberations on whether to allow Huawei, the Chinese telecommunications company, to work on the UK's 5G network. It has raised concern among mandarins that government is no longer properly functioning.