Labour veteran Peter Mandelson says US ambassador job an ‘honour’

As first reported in The Instances,, exterior Lord Mandelson will substitute Dame Karen Pierce, whose time period in Washington DC is because of finish as Trump enters the White Home in early 2025.

Sir Keir thanked Dame Karen for “her invaluable service for the final 4 years, and specifically the knowledge and steadfast help she has given me personally since July”.

UK ambassadors are usually profession diplomats or civil servants, however Downing Avenue mentioned selecting a number one Labour politician “reveals simply how importantly we see our relationship with the Trump administration”.

Labour Well being Minister Stephen Kinnock mentioned Lord Mandelson would make “a wonderful appointment” as US ambassador.

Kinnock, whose father Neil Kinnock gave Lord Mandelson his first senior function in Labour within the Eighties, pointed to the previous EU Commerce Commissioner’s “actually sturdy expertise in commerce”.

“He is acquired excellent political contacts in Washington DC and I feel his appointment could be a mirrored image of the significance of the US-UK particular relationship and I feel Peter Mandelson could be an excellent individual to take that relationship ahead,” Kinnock added.

However Lord Mandelson has been a divisive figures in British politics over a few years.

He resigned twice as a minister – as soon as for failing to declare a house mortgage from a cupboard colleague, and a second time over accusations of utilizing his place to affect a passport software.

As a staunch critic of Brexit and advocate for world free-trade, he doesn’t look like an apparent match with the incoming Trump administration.

The previous cupboard minister and EU commerce negotiator additionally has monumental political expertise, and Downing Avenue could have judged that sending somebody so near the large political figures within the UK could go down properly on the White Home.