New Zealand High Commissioner Phil Goff sacked after taking a dig at US President Donald Trump

New Zealand High Commissioner to the UK, Phil Goff, has paid the price and lost his job after his comments about US President Donald Trump at a Chatham House event in London on Tuesday (March 4, 2025). Goff's comments, where he made a reference to former UK prime minister Winston Churchill's speech about the 1938 Munich Agreement, were deemed “disappointing” and his position “untenable” by New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters.

The comments led to Goff, who has been New Zealand's High Commissioner to the UK since January 2023, being sacked. His remarks, made during a question to Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, drew chuckles from the audience.

At the Chatham House event, Goff quoted Churchill's rebuke of the then UK prime minister Neville Chamberlain. “You had the choice between war and dishonour. You chose dishonour, yet you will have war,” Churchill had said about the Munich Agreement.


Goff then asked Valtonen, “President Trump has restored the bust of Churchill to the Oval Office. But do you think he really understands history?” Churchill’s 1938 speech had criticized the appeasement of German dictator Adolf Hitler through the Munich Agreement, which allowed Germany to annex part of Czechoslovakia.

Valtonen responded by saying she would “limit myself” to saying that Churchill “has made very timeless remarks.” The event focused on Finland’s approach to European security, titled ‘Keeping the peace on NATO’s longest border with Russia.’

New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters stated that Goff’s remarks were “disappointing” and made the envoy’s position “untenable.” He announced that Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Bede Corry, would manage the leadership transition at the New Zealand High Commission in London.

“We have asked the Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Bede Corry, to now work through with Mr. Goff the upcoming leadership transition at the New Zealand High Commission in London,” Peters said in a written statement. Officials confirmed discussions with Goff about his return to New Zealand.

Former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark, who worked with Goff during his time as a lawmaker, criticized the dismissal on X. She called the episode “a very thin excuse” for removing a “highly respected” former foreign minister from his diplomatic post.

Goff did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The New Zealand foreign ministry has not provided further details about the circumstances of Goff’s return. The ministry’s statement simply confirmed ongoing discussions with the High Commissioner regarding his return.

(Content inputs from: AP)