Trump considering rejecting Lord Mandelson as Starmer’s nominee for ambassador to the US
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Exclusive: With Donald Trump set to be sworn in as the 47th US president on Monday, the nomination of Lord Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to the US is still causing problems. Donald Trump is considering rejecting Keir Starmer’s nominee for UK ambassador to the US in what would be an extremely rare move.
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Mar-a-Lago sources within the Trump team have told The Independent that it is still not certain Lord Peter Mandelson’s credentials will be accepted by Trump after he becomes president. While the threat of rejecting Mandelson could be sabre rattling, strains between Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour government and the incoming administration are being blamed. However, there also are concerns about Lord Mandelson’s perceived links to China.
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Labour has told the Trump transition team that “it is a huge compliment” Sir Keir wants to send such a senior Labour figure, but a source noted: “We are not buying that.”. It was noted at the pre-inauguration party hosted by Nigel Farage on Friday night overlooking the White House, Lord Mandelson did not attend even though he had been invited to help build bridges with key members of the Trump team.
The outgoing UK ambassador in Washington Dame Karen Pierce, who has impressed the transition team, was there. For an ambassadorial nominee to formally take up their role, the head of state of the country they have been sent to has to accept the “letters of credence”.
