New Zealand Fires UK Envoy Over Trump History Remarks
New Zealand has dismissed its top diplomat to the United Kingdom after he questioned former US President Donald Trump’s understanding of history.
New Zealand’s High Commissioner to the UK, Phil Goff, has been removed from his position following comments he made about Donald Trump at an event in London.
During the event on Tuesday, Goff compared diplomatic efforts to end the war between Russia and Ukraine to the 1938 Munich Agreement, which permitted Adolf Hitler to annex Czechoslovakia’s Sudetenland. He referenced Winston Churchill’s criticism of the agreement and remarked on Trump’s knowledge of history.
"President Trump has restored the bust of Churchill to the Oval Office," Goff said. "But do you think he really understands history?"
New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters called Goff’s remarks “deeply disappointing” and said they made his position as a diplomat “untenable.”
Trump, Churchill, and the Munich Agreement
Goff’s comments came in the wake of Trump’s decision to pause military aid to Ukraine after a tense meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office last week.
Drawing a historical parallel, Goff contrasted Trump’s actions with Churchill’s opposition to the Munich Agreement. Churchill, though not in government at the time, saw the deal as a capitulation to Nazi Germany and warned against appeasement. Goff quoted Churchill’s famous rebuke to then-Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain:
"You had the choice between war and dishonour. You chose dishonour, yet you will have war."
Peters emphasized that Goff’s views did not align with the New Zealand government’s stance.
"When you hold that position, you represent the government and its policies. You're not there to express personal opinions," Peters told local media. "Diplomatically, that is not how a country presents itself."
Controversy Over Goff’s Dismissal
Goff, a veteran politician, had served as high commissioner since January 2023. He previously held multiple ministerial roles, led the Labour Party from 2008 to 2011, and served two terms as mayor of Auckland, New Zealand’s largest city.
Peters, who is also deputy prime minister, stated that he had dismissed Goff without consulting Prime Minister Christopher Luxon. When questioned about his decision, he responded bluntly:
"I know he's the prime minister—I made him the prime minister."
Peters, leader of the New Zealand First Party, is a key figure in the country’s ruling coalition government, which consists of the National Party, the Act Party, and New Zealand First.
Luxon later defended Peters’ unilateral decision, calling it “entirely appropriate.”
However, former Prime Minister Helen Clark criticized Goff’s dismissal, arguing that it was based on a "very thin excuse." She pointed out that many experts at the Munich Security Conference had drawn similar historical parallels between Munich 1938 and recent US foreign policy.
Historical Context: The Munich Agreement
The 1938 Munich Agreement allowed Nazi Germany to take control of Czechoslovakia’s Sudetenland in an attempt to avoid war. However, Hitler soon expanded his conquests, leading to the outbreak of World War II when Germany invaded Poland in 1939.
Goff’s comparison implied that Trump’s actions toward Ukraine could be seen as a modern form of appeasement—a perspective that, while debated, has been echoed by other international figures.
Despite the controversy, New Zealand’s government remains firm in its decision to remove Goff from his diplomatic post.
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