Mandelson's US job was unforgivable

THE decision by Keir Starmer to appoint Peter Mandelson as Britain's ambassador to America was not merely a mistake, it was a judgement so wrong it risks defining his premiership.

- CHRISTOPHER BUCKTIN

The Labour veteran has since stood down from the House of Lords, an implicit admission that his position had become untenable.

But this late retreat does little to address the scale of the original failure. Standing aside is damage limitation, not accountability.

This was never just another diplomatic job handed to a party grandee. The UK ambassador to the United States is the most powerful post in British diplomacy. It is the crown jewel.

The role carries responsibility for safeguarding intelligence relationships, shaping global strategy and representing Britain at the centre of American power. The weight of the office is immense, and the consequences of getting it wrong are profound. Yet Starmer looked at that responsibility and still decided Mandelson was the right man.

When the disgraced Labour peer's name was first floated, alarm bells were already deafening.