Top New Zealand diplomat fired after asking controversial question about Donald Trump

New Zealand's High Commissioner to the UK has been fired after asking one controversial question about United States president Donald Trump.

Earlier this week on Tuesday (4 March), Phil Goff, New Zealand's most senior envoy to Britain, publicly questioned Trump's grasp of history at an event in London.

The 79-year-old, who has served in the role since 2023 after previously serving for two terms as mayor of Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, as well as being the leader of the Labour Party between 2008 to 2011, referenced a famous speech made by Sir Winston Churchill in 1938.

The speech in question saw Churchill, who was an MP in Neville Chamberlain's government at the time, call out Britain's signing of the Munich Agreement.

For context, it was under the 1938 Munich Agreement that Hitler was able to take control of Czechoslovakia's Sudetenland - a deal which failed to stop Nazi Germany from advancing deeper into Europe.

The following year, in 1939, World War Two began when the dictator invaded Poland in a war, which was the deadliest conflict in human history, with dozens of millions of deaths.

Quoting Churchill's comments made to Chamberlain, Goff said: "You had the choice between war and dishonour. You chose dishonour, yet you will have war."

The diplomat then went on to say in a question directed at Finland's foreign minister Elina Valtonen: "President Trump has restored the bust of Churchill to the Oval Office.

"But do you think he really understands history?"

New Zealand foreign minister Winston Peters, who is also deputy prime minister, has since responded to Goff's comments, telling reporters the remarks were 'disappointing' and made his position 'untenable'.

"When you are in that position you represent the government and the policies of the day," he continued. "You're not able to free-think, you are the face of New Zealand.

"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' decision to sac Goff was reportedly done without first consulting Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon, who later said the move was 'entirely appropriate'.

However, New Zealand's former prime minister, Helen Clark, was among those who criticised Goff's sacking, claiming it was backed by a 'very thin excuse'.

"This looks like a very thin excuse for sacking a highly respected former #NZ Foreign Minister from his post as High Commissioner to the UK. I have been at Munich Security Conference recently where many draw parallels between Munich 1938 & US actions now," she wrote on X on Wednesday (5 March).