Four former British ambassadors to the United States have expressed concern about the future of intelligence sharing with the US following the re-election of Donald Trump.

Sir David Manning, who served as ambassador between 2003 and 2007, told a parliamentary committee some of Trump’s appointees had “strange track records” which would create a “problem on the intelligence front”.

Dame Karen Pierce, who only left the role last month, said intelligence sharing would continue “even if at the top level there might be things we might wish to be circumspect about”.

Sir Nigel Sheinwald, ambassador from 2007 to 2012, said the relationship would be “trickier to handle than probably at any other time”.

He said some of the people appointed by Trump to lead intelligence and security could “present some difficulties in terms of their view of us and views of co-operation”.

He did not specify who he was referring to, however concern has been raised about the US president’s pick to be his director of national intelligence.

Tulsi Gabbard has previously echoed Russia’s justification for invading Ukraine and her appointment to the role was welcomed by Russian state media.

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Sir Peter Westmacott, who was in Washington from 2012 to 2016, said problems might be caused by a changing culture in US government institutions adding that “a lot of very good people are being thrown out because they do not pass the [Trump] loyalty test.”

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