'Prince of Darkness' returns as Starmer's new US ambassador
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Sir Keir Starmer is to make his most controversial senior appointment yet by naming Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to the US. Lord Mandelson, 71, known as the "Prince of Darkness" from his days as a New Labour's spin doctor, will be the prime minister's link to Donald Trump.
'Brutal' figure 'an inspired choice' - politics latest. The former cabinet minister and Brussels commissioner is a consummate political networker and his appointment will be seen by supporters as a masterstroke. But he has also been one of the most divisive figures in British politics over many years and his appointment will be seen by Labour left-wingers as an act of cronyism by the PM.
Lord Mandelson had to resign from Tony Blair's cabinet twice, first over an undeclared bank loan and then over intervening in a passport application by a top Indian businessman. A plum job. The Washington role, seen as the most glittering diplomatic post in the UK government, is due to become vacant when current ambassador Karen Pierce steps down early next year.
The perks of the job include the luxurious ambassador's residence in Massachusetts Avenue, a magnificent Queen Anne mansion designed by top architect Sir Edwin Lutyens. Lord Mandelson's appointment is the first political rather than diplomatic appointment to Washington since Peter Jay, former prime minister James Callaghan's son-in-law, in 1977.
