British Politics Is Melting Down. The New Ambassador Is Tuning It Out.

This is not the 53-year-old career diplomat’s first D.C. posting, having previously served as first secretary in the early 2000s. In fact, both of his children were born in Washington some two decades ago. But the capital of that era would be unrecognizable today. Republicans and Democrats are barely talking to each other, traditional diplomatic channels matter less than knowing the right people in Trump’s orbit, and the assumptions about American power and alliances that underpinned his last tour no longer hold. So Turner is learning to play by the new rules. He’s taking trips to Florida and meeting the…