UK ambassador to Mexico sacked after pointing gun at colleague, FT reports

The UK ambassador to Mexico was quietly fired earlier this year after pointing a rifle at a local embassy employee, the Financial Times reported Friday. The incident was captured in a video shared on social media.

The five-second video, published May 26 on an X account called Subdiplomatic, appears to show Jon Benjamin sitting in the front passenger seat of a vehicle, picking up a rifle, and pointing it toward a person sitting in the back. At least one person is heard laughing in the video during the episode.

People familiar with the matter told the Financial Times that Benjamin was reportedly fired soon after the incident occurred during an official trip to the Mexican states of Durango and Sinaloa in April.

The UK government website indicates that Benjamin is no longer an envoy. His biography page reads: “Jon Benjamin was UK Ambassador to Mexico between 2021 and 2024” – and that position is listed under a section titled “Previous roles in government.” The site does not explain why he no longer holds that role.

Mexico – which holds presidential, national and local elections Sunday – faces rampant violent crime, with sky-high crime and homicide rates.