Appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to US divides Labour MPs
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Ministers hail peer as a heavyweight but others question the selection of a previously outspoke critic of party policy. Peter Mandelson has been formally unveiled as the UK’s ambassador to Washington, with a series of ministers hailing him as a political heavyweight who will be a reliable conduit into a potentially chaotic second Donald Trump administration.
Some Labour MPs were, however, less enthusiastic, questioning why Keir Starmer would reward and trust a figure who had previously weighed in with outspoken criticism of the party’s policies and personalities. The decision, which emerged on Friday evening, was formalised in a Downing Street statement in which Starmer hailed Lord Mandelson, who was a cabinet minister under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown before becoming the EU trade commissioner, for bringing “unrivalled experience” to the role.
The foreign secretary, David Lammy, said Mandelson had “a wealth of experience in trade, economic and foreign policy from his years in government and the private sector”. The peer said he was deeply honoured, promising to “advance our historic alliance with the United States”.
A political appointment had been anticipated in place of the departing ambassador, Karen Pierce, given the likely intricacies of Trump’s presidency. The president-elect has promised wide-ranging tariffs on the first day of his new administration, which starts on 20 January, with experts predicting damaging consequences for Britain’s goods trade with the US.
