Sir Christopher Meyer, 74, was at Victoria when he was set upon by two attackers, his wife said
A former British ambassador to the US has been admitted to hospital after being beaten up by youths at a London train station.
Sir Christopher Meyer, 74, was at Victoria when he was set upon by two attackers, his wife said. The retired diplomat, who was on his way home, was left with a bleeding and swollen eye socket, a burst lip and a suspected broken nose.
It comes as police struggle to cope with a wave of violent crime across the country. Violent offences were up 21 per cent last year, with 1.3million recorded – the most since records began 15 years ago.
Sir Christopher’s wife, Baroness Meyer, said he does not remember the attack, but that police believe the pair may have wanted to rob him.
‘He looks terrible,’ she said. ‘His left eye is like a golf ball and bleeding, the nose looks like it could be broken. At first I thought that the attack was politically motivated.
‘He is opinionated, and sometimes people have different opinions, but the police told me they believe that it is more likely that they might have wanted to rob him.’
Sir Christopher’s wife, Baroness Meyer, said he does not remember the attack, but that police believe the pair may have wanted to rob him
Baroness Meyer told The Times nothing was stolen and that two people had been arrested. Cambridge-educated Sir Chistopher, pictured, worked as press secretary for former chancellor Geoffrey Howe and John Major before being appointed US ambassador. He spent six years in Washington, from 1997 to 2003, becoming the longest-serving holder of his office since 1945.
As ambassador, he welcomed around 35,000 guests to his home a year and was made Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George.
After retiring, he became chairman of the Press Complaints Commission, the former newspaper regulatory body.
He is a prolific tweeter, who regularly comments on politics and foreign affairs. The former diplomat has called for Britain to engage with President Trump ahead of his visit today.
He has been married to Catherine for more than 20 years. Sir Christopher’s attack comes as London’s crime rate has soared. Since the start of the year, more than 80 murder investigations have been launched in the capital. Forces in England and Wales logged 5.3million crimes in the year to September 2017, 14 per cent up on the previous 12 months.