Former British ambassador Kim Darroch justifies previous warnings over Donald Trump

One-time envoy to the US predicted Trump's presidency would end in disgrace

An explosion caused by a police munition is seen while supporters of former president Donald Trump gather in front of the US Capitol Building in Washington, US, January 6, 2021. Reuters

A supporter of US President Donald J. Trump sits on the desk of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, after supporters of US President Donald J. Trump breached the US Capitol security in Washington. EPA

Police detain a person as supporters of US President Donald Trump protest outside the US Capitol. AFP

Protesters enter the US Capitol Building. AFP

A protester holds a Trump flag inside the US Capitol Building near the Senate Chamber. AFP

US Capitol police officers point their guns at a door that was vandalized in the House Chamber during a joint session of Congress. AFP

Members of congress run for cover as protesters try to enter the House Chamber during a joint session of Congress. AFP

Congress staffers barricade themselves after Trump supporters stormed inside the US Capitol. AFP

Congress staffers barricade themselves after Trump supporters stormed inside the US Capitol. AFP

Congress staffers hold up their hands while Capitol Police Swat teams check everyone in the room as they secure the floor of Trump supporters. AFP

US Capitol Police stand detain protesters outside of the House Chamber during a joint session of Congress. AFP

A supporter of US President Donald Trump sits at a desk after invading the Capitol Building. AFP

A protester sits in the Senate Chamber. AFP

Pro-Trump protesters tear down a barricade as they clash with Capitol police during a rally to contest the certification of the 2020 US presidential election results by the US Congress. Reuters

Police hold back supporters of US President Donald Trump as they gather outside the US Capitol's Rotunda. AFP

Supporters of US President Donald Trump enter the US Capitol's Rotunda. AFP

A protester is seen hanging from the balcony in the Senate Chamber. AFP

Riot police prepare to move demonstrators away from the US Capitol. AFP

Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as they storm the US Capitol. AFP

Trump supporters clash with police and security forces, as they storm the US Capitol. AFP

A supporter of US President Donald Trump wears a gas mask as he protests after storming the US Capitol. AFP

Pro-Trump supporters storm the US Capitol following a rally. AFP

Supporters of US President Donald Trump protest inside the US Capitol. AFP

US President Donald Trump is seen on TV from a video message released on Twitter addressing rioters at the US Capitol, in the Brady Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, DC. AFP

Trump supporters clash with police and security forces as they storm the US Capitol in Washington, DC. AFP

Supporters of US President Donald Trump protest in the US Capitol Rotunda. AFP

Paramedics perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation on a patient. AFP

A wounded protester is carried on barricade as demonstrators breach the US Capital building grounds. Bloomberg

US Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi preside over a joint session of Congress to certify the 2020 Electoral College results after supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol earlier in the day on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. EPA

Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J., cleans up debris and personal belongings strewn across the floor of the Rotunda in the early morning hours of the morning, after protesters stormed the Capitol in Washington. AP

Kim Darroch, Britain's former ambassador to the US – who was forced to quit after leaks showed he described Donald Trump as inept and insecure – said warnings that the departing president's tenure could end disastrously were borne out.

In confidential diplomatic cables leaked in July 2019, Mr Darroch said that Mr Trump's presidency could "crash and burn" and "end in disgrace".

The comments angered Mr Trump, who said he would no longer co-operate with Mr Darroch.

Boris Johnson, at the time a Conservative leadership candidate and the front-runner to succeed Theresa May as British prime minister, was criticised for not giving Mr Darroch his full backing.

Mr Darroch told Sky News that given five people had died during the storming of the US Capitol this month, it would be "a little self-obsessed of me to see it all in terms of vindication".

“I made those judgments back in July 2017. They didn’t seem to me difficult or chancy judgments,” he said.

“If you watched the Trump campaign for the presidency and the chaos and disruption and ineptitude of the first six months, that seemed to me a pretty safe call and, I would say, so it has turned out."

Mr Johnson said on Wednesday he looks forward to working with Joe Biden on their "shared priorities", just hours before the latter's inauguration.

Mr Johnson said tackling climate change, recovering from the pandemic and transatlantic security are issues high on the agenda.

Meanwhile, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange did not receive a presidential pardon from Mr Trump during his final hours in office. The departing president on Wednesday pardoned 73 people, including his former aide Steve Bannon and the rapper Lil Wayne.

The US Justice Department in 2019 asked Britain to extradite Mr Assange to face charges that he conspired to hack American government computers and violated espionage laws.

A judge ruled that Mr Assange, 49, should not be extradited to the United States, because his mental health problems meant he would be at risk of suicide.