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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Independent and Lauren MacDougall

Readers slam ‘old boys’ club’ for sidelining Dame Karen Pierce in favour of Peter Mandelson

Peter Mandelson Karen Pierce Donald Trump Jeffrey Epstein Sir Keir Starmer United Kingdom United States
Pierce is made a Dame by the Princess Royal at Buckingham Palace, 2019 - (PA)

Independent readers responding to Eleanor Mills’ article on Dame Karen Pierce were scathing about her removal as UK ambassador to Washington, with many describing it as a needless and damaging decision that epitomises the persistence of an “old boys’ club” at the top of government.

Pierce’s term in Washington ended just before Donald Trump entered the White House in early 2025, with Sir Keir Starmer appointing Peter Mandelson to serve as the key link between the prime minister and Trump’s incoming administration at a critical moment for US-UK diplomacy.

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