WELLINGTON, New Zealand — New Zealand’s top representative in the U.K. has been dismissed due to comments he made this week in London regarding U.S. President Donald Trump, according to New Zealand’s foreign minister on Thursday.

Phil Goff, New Zealand’s High Commissioner to the U.K., made the remarks during a Tuesday event hosted by the Chatham House think tank in London.

Goff, participating in a Q&A with Finland’s Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen, referenced a well-known 1938 speech by Winston Churchill, then a Member of Parliament under Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain.

Churchill’s speech criticized Britain’s Munich Agreement with Adolf Hitler, which allowed Germany to annex part of Czechoslovakia. Goff quoted Churchill’s words to Chamberlain: “You had the choice between war and dishonor. You chose dishonor, yet you will have war.”

Goff then posed the question to Valtonen: “President Trump has returned the bust of Churchill to the Oval Office. But do you think he truly understands history?”

The audience chuckled at the New Zealand diplomat’s question. In response, Valtonen said she would “limit myself” to saying that Churchill “has made very timeless remarks,” according to a video of the event released by Chatham House.

Valtonen’s speech on Tuesday, titled ‘Keeping the peace on NATO’s longest border with Russia,’ focused on Finland’s approach to European security.

Foreign Minister Winston Peters told reporters that Goff’s comments were “disappointing” and rendered his position “untenable.”

Peters stated, “In that role, you embody the government and its current policies. You cannot simply voice your own opinions; you represent New Zealand.”

Peters added that officials would “work through” the “upcoming leadership transition” at New Zealand’s London mission with Goff.

Goff had served as New Zealand’s envoy to the U.K. since January 2023. He has not yet responded to requests for comment.

According to a statement from New Zealand’s foreign minister, officials are “in discussion with High Commissioner Goff about his return to New Zealand.”

Former Prime Minister Helen Clark—Goff’s superior during his time as a lawmaker—criticized his dismissal on X, calling it “a very thin excuse” to remove a “highly respected” former foreign minister from his diplomatic post.