James Roscoe (diplomat)

Roscoe has previously worked for His Majesty's Diplomatic Service in Iraq, Sierra Leone and the UK Mission to the UN. Between 2006 and 2009, Roscoe was the chief press officer to prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. In 2017, he joined the Department for Exiting the European union as Communication Director and from 2019 to 2022 was the United Kingdom’s Ambassador to the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York. In September 2025, Roscoe became chargé d'affaires ad interim to the United States for the second time following the dismissal of Peter Mandelson as ambassador by prime minister Keir Starmer, amid controversy surrounding Mandelson's association with the convicted sex offenders Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. He previously served in that position in February 2025, between the departure of Karen Pierce and the appointment of Mandelson. ==Early and personal life==

Roscoe was born in Bangor, Wales, though spent most of his childhood in South Africa where he attended the Diocesan College (Bishops) in Rondebosch (Cape Town, South Africa). On his return to the United Kingdom he attended Ysgol Aberconwy in Conwy, Wales, and maintains close connections to Conwy. He met his wife, BBC presenter Clemency Burton-Hill (daughter of BBC broadcaster and director Sir Humphrey Burton) in Sierra Leone in 2006, and has two sons. ==Honours==

Roscoe was appointed a Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO) in the 2017 New Year Honours. ==References==