PETER Mandelson would be “a really good fit” for the job of ambassador to the US, a Labour Cabinet minister has said.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander backed the Labour grandee for the role after reports said he was set to be named to the key position to mediate between Keir Starmer’s government and the incoming Donald Trump administration in Washington DC.
The tenure of Karen Pierce, the current office holder, is expected to come to an end in early 2025, with a US trade deal high on the Labour Government’s agenda.
A source told the PA news agency that getting Mandelson in shows how importantly the UK sees “our relationship with the Trump administration”, describing him as somebody with “unrivalled” political experience.
“The fact the Prime Minister has chosen to make a political appointment and send Lord Mandelson to Washington shows just how importantly we see our relationship with the Trump administration.
“We’re sending someone close to the Prime Minister with unrivalled political and policy experience, particularly on the crucial issue of trade. He’s the ideal candidate to represent the UK’s economic and security interests in the USA.”
The BBC reported Lord Mandelson is expected to be confirmed on Friday.
The move would come as Trump is set to be inaugurated for the second time, with questions over what his second presidency could mean for the UK.
On Thursday, Starmer said that the UK would “have to make sure that we avoid tariffs” as he faced questions on his approach to the incoming US president.
He told the Commons Liaison Committee he was “alive to the danger of tariffs” but would not “speculate as to what the incoming president might do”.
He said: “I am not a fan of tariffs and, therefore, we have to make sure that we avoid tariffs.”
Former British ambassador to the US Kim Darroch told BBC’s Newsnight that he thought it was a “good appointment”.
Speaking to the programme he said: “I’ve been saying for a long time ever since the election outcome that I thought Peter Mandelson was the right man for the job and I’m glad that it’s been announced.”
And Transport Secretary Alexander also backed the appointment, telling Sky News: “I think Lord Mandelson is an individual of very significant international standing.
“He has been a previous EU trade commissioner, he’s a very experienced politician.
“We need someone as the next ambassador to the US who is going to be able to promote our economic and security interests with one of our closest allies, and so I think he is a really good fit for the job.”
She added that Mandelson’s experience of trade policy would be “really important” in the context of concerns about the new tariffs Trump has threatened to introduce.
