THE political appointment of Alexander Downer as Australia's high commissioner in London is justified because he's clearly the best man for the job, the head of the Liberal Party in the UK says.
Labor has hit out at the government's decision to move Mike Rann from the high-profile diplomatic post prematurely to make way for the Howard government minister.
Former South Australian Labor premier Mr Rann, whose term was not due to expire for another 18 months, will head to Rome as ambassador to Italy in May as part of a switch the opposition has branded "blatantly political".
But Australian Liberals Abroad president Jason Groves said on Monday having a high commissioner politically aligned with the government was in the nation's best interest.
Mr Groves claimed nobody was better qualified for the role than Mr Downer, Australia's longest-serving foreign minister.
"To have a high commissioner who is listened to and respected by the government of the day is very useful," Mr Groves told AAP.
"Alexander Downer is someone who is incredibly well-connected in the UK already and someone who can hit the ground running.
"He has experience that's almost unparalleled by any other Australian in foreign affairs matters.
"With a lot of big issues going on in Europe at the moment, and with Australia's presidency of the G20, it's important having someone who is very familiar with all of these issues and able to talk to the British government with authority."
Opposition foreign affairs spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek called for Foreign Minister Julie Bishop to explain the "abrupt" installation of Mr Downer while Labor MP Bernie Ripoll accused the government of delivering "jobs for the boys".
Mr Groves dismissed the criticism as "petty 24-hour news cycle politics".
"Labor in the past have made political appointments, as have we, and I think on both sides frankly these can be very helpful," Mr Groves said.
Mr Rann, whose wife Sasha is of Italian origin, did not comment on the move on Monday aside from a post in Twitter saying he was excited about the new role.
"Looking forward to taking up posting as Ambassador to Italy, Libya, Albania, San Marino in May. Busy with language training. Sasha helping!," he tweeted.
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