'Prince of Darkness' returns: Peter Mandelson to be named US ambassador as Starmer plans for Trump presidency
19 December 2024, 20:09 | Updated: 19 December 2024, 22:45
Lord Peter Mandelson, one of the architects of New Labour, is expected to be the next UK ambassador to the US.
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Lord Mandelson, who served in the cabinets of Sir Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, is poised to be the UK's next top diplomat in Washington, as President-elect Donald Trump returns to office.
The tenure of Dame Karen Pierce, the current office holder, is expected to come to an end at the start of 2025. Lord Mandelson had been widely tipped as the person next in line for the job.
In November, the former MP for Hartlepool previously said he would be "very interested" in giving advice on trade to whoever got the job.
It comes as Keir Starmer seeks to avoid damaging trade tariffs that Trump has threatened to impose.
Author Robert Harris told LBC he will "fit in well in Washington DC" and that it's an "appointment that makes a lot of sense".
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'Star quality'
On Thursday evening, author Robert Harris told Iain Dale that Lord Mandelson has "star quality" and will fit in well in Washington DC.
"He's a big figure, whether you like it like him or not.
"I mean, he's a big player and has had a big impact on British politics, therefore he'll speak with some authority.
He later added: "I think that it was quite significant that actually, Nigel Farage, of all people, said that Peter Mandelson would make a good ambassador, and he has Trump's ear, so that struck me almost as a kind of invitation."
He also described him as an "expert on trade world trade".
"That was his brief when he was a European Commissioner.
"I can't think there's a British politician who knows more about that issue."
