In a video posted on social media the same day, Ambassador Benjamin sat in the passenger seat of a car that was parked on the side of the road, then aimed and pointed an assault rifle at an embassy employee sitting in the back of the car, while the person filming the video laughed.

The gun was loaded with a magazine, but it was unclear whether it was loaded or not. Mr. Benjamin’s finger was outside the trigger, indicating that the British Ambassador seemed to understand the safety rules when using a gun. However, pointing a gun at a comrade is a taboo and is completely prohibited by armed forces of all countries, due to the risk of causing unintended harm.

“He dared to joke around in the context of drug crimes and murders that happen every day in Mexico,” one of the accounts sharing the video wrote. Foreign diplomats are often escorted by heavily armed bodyguards when visiting dangerous areas in Mexico.

A Foreign Office spokesman said the agency was aware of the report and “taking appropriate action”, but did not elaborate. Ambassador Benjamin and the British embassy in Mexico did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Data on the British government website shows that Mr Benjamin is no longer ambassador to Mexico and the deputy ambassador is taking up the position of charge d’affaires.

Jon Benjamin began his diplomatic career in 1986, serving in Türkiye, Ghana, Indonesia and the United States, and was also head of the British Diplomatic Service College. He has been British Ambassador to Mexico since 2021 and is due to leave in May.

Violence caused by competition between drug gangs has long been rampant in Mexico and shows no sign of stopping, with about 30,000 people killed each year.