Peter Mandelson to be announced as UK’s next US ambassador

Peter Mandelson is poised to be appointed as the next British ambassador to the United States, marking the first time in nearly fifty years that a politician has taken on this position.

Keir Starmer is set to reveal that Lord Mandelson, who previously served as a Labour minister and was a European commissioner for trade, will be stepping into the position. According to The Guardian, he is expected to assume this role as Donald Trump embarks on his second term as president.

The announcement arrives as the UK braces for tough shifts in its trade connections with the US due to the upcoming president. Earlier this month, the prime minister’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeeny, went to Washington to meet with the new team set to join Trump’s administration.

The prime minister thinks that Mandelson, a former Labour MP who is now a member of the House of Lords, possesses the trade knowledge and connections needed to strengthen the UK's interests during this "sensitive time" in its relationship with the US, as reported by the Times.

He held the position of business secretary while Gordon Brown was in office, took on the role of president of the Board of Trade in 1998, and became the European Commissioner for Trade in 2004.

A government official informed the BBC: "The decision by the prime minister to make a political appointment and send Lord Mandelson to Washington highlights how significant we consider our relationship with the Trump administration."

"We're dispatching an individual who is closely associated with the prime minister and possesses unmatched expertise in politics and policy, especially regarding the important matter of trade. He is the perfect choice to advocate for the UK's economic and security priorities in the United States."

Trump has pledged to implement universal tariffs of as much as 20%, applying to all products brought into the US from abroad. This move is expected to increase the prices of these items for American shoppers.

In November, Stephen Moore, a top economic advisor to Trump, mentioned that if the UK adopted the US approach to "economic freedom," the new administration would be more open to negotiating a trade agreement between the two nations.

In an interview with BBC's Today programme, Moore remarked, “The UK must decide between the European economic approach, which leans towards socialism, and the American model, which is primarily focused on free enterprise. It seems like the UK is stuck between these two economic frameworks.”

I think it would be beneficial for Britain to adopt a system more aligned with the economic freedom found in the United States.

However, Starmer recently dismissed concerns that Trump might push the UK to choose sides between the US and the EU. He stated, “In these perilous times, the notion that we have to decide between our allies, as if we must side with either America or Europe, is simply incorrect.”

"I completely disagree with it. Neither [Clement] Attlee nor [Winston] Churchill made a choice between their allies. It is essential for our national interests that we collaborate with both."

He emphasized that he would “never shy away” from the unique bond between the UK and the US. “This isn't just emotional,” he remarked. “It's about practical realism. Throughout history, the best prospects for global progress and the most reliable approach to advancing our shared national interests have emerged from the collaboration of our two countries. That remains true today.”

Mandelson, a long-time member of the Labour Party and former communications director in the 1980s, shared with the Times’s How to Win an Election podcast that Britain needs to navigate a course between the US and the EU, especially if Donald Trump follows through on his promise to implement widespread tariffs on imports.

"We need to find a way to manage this situation and, unfortunately, achieve the best outcome on both sides," he stated. "We have to discover how to enjoy the benefits without compromise."