Former British Ambassador to U.S. on President Trump

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: So, let’s just talk about the main news of the day, and that is this ongoing idea that Britain is perfectly willing to break international law around the Brexit deal. Now, the United States is not happy with that, Europe is not happy with that. Let me read to you what the European president said, Britain does not break treaties. It would be bad for Britain, bad for relations with the rest of the world and bad for any future treaty on trade. And she was quoting Margaret Thatcher, conservative Tori prime minister. What do you make of all of this?

KIM DARROCH, FORMER BRITISH AMBASSADOR TO THE U.S.: I thought it was extraordinary to hear a senior minister say up this (INAUDIBLE) in the House of Commons that we intended to breach international law, though in a limited way. I never heard that in 40 careers of public service.

AMANPOUR: Is that being a bit pregnant? You either breach the law or you don’t.

DARROCH: Exactly. I mean, limited? I mean, how do you behave illegally in just a limited way? I couldn’t see that. I still think it is very damaging to international reputation, but particularly in these post-Brexit circumstances, it’s going to potentially kill the prospects from the E.U/U.K. free trade deal. And as I could see the moment, I heard the news, puts the U.K./U.S. free trade deal at great risk. So, I don’t see how that adds up.

AMANPOUR: There are many people who believe that this was the plan all along. Here’s a quote from a recent article. Dominic Cummings on his blog in March last years, 2019, when Prime Minister May was in power said, dear vote leave activist, don’t worry about the so-called permanent commitments, this historically abysmal cabinet are trying to make on our behalf, they are not permanent, and a serious government, not one coward by officials and their expletive deleted by me, legal advice with which they have heard administrators like sheep will dispense with these commitments. I mean, it’s basically saying the entire deal was a lie, was politically expedient, that they lied to the British people in order to get elected.

DARROCH: Yes, I don’t know Dominic Cummings, and I’m outside government now. So, I don’t have any great insights into what’s going on in number 10. But I still believe, I think, that the prime minister would rather have a deal than not, but he’s kind of in a corner now, and it would be very difficult to get a deal from where we are, if he means what he says about rewriting the withdrawal agreement.

AMANPOUR: The main title of your book is “Collateral Damage.” What collateral damage do you think will occur from this attempt to break international law?

DARROCH: I think there are three obvious pieces of collateral damage. First, as I have said to the U.K./E.U. free trade deal. And let’s remember, we do 40 percent of our trade with the E.U., and having all of that disrupted by quotas and tariffs and rules and paperwork is going to be very damaging to our economy. There are risks to a U.K./U.S. free trade deal,