Why the Year of the Snake bodes well for Mandelson

Having known the prince of darkness’ for three decades, Anne McElvoy can attest to his brilliance at anticipating mood shifts a key trait in his role as ambassador to the US

- Anne McElvoy

Start as you mean to go on: Peter Mandelson treads in the wake of many 2025 mea culpas flowing from people who derided America's 45th president as a dangerous aberration, only to find that he is back and more consequential than ever.

In Mandelson’s case, as the prospective UK ambassador to Washington, he was taking no chances. On Fox News, the default channel of right-wing America, he expressed regret for previous comments that Trump was “a danger to the world” and a “bully”, describing them as “ill-judged and wrong”. For good measure, he said the returning president had earned “fresh respect” with his “dynamism and energy”.

The interview was classic Mandelson: a fleet-footed, tactical play, intended to ensure that the formal diplomatic agrément to serve as the UK’s ambassador to Washington is followed swiftly by formal confirmation this month, with no last-minute thumbs down from a famously mercurial president.

Dubbed “the prince of darkness” for his behind-the-scenes influence, this was part of a well-formed strategic plan by Mandelson. For those close to the president who have doubts about his appointment due to his Labour background and connections to China and Russia, he is signalling that he is among a group favoured by Trump – those who have changed their minds about him since 2016. “He loves a convert,” says one senior diplomat in DC. “So Peter needed to show he is one.”

In an interview in the Financial Times this week, he continued to signal to Trump's circle that he was on side, saying: "What they will discover is I’m not an uber-liberal, I’m not a wokeycokey sort of person, and I’m pro-market and pro-business.”