Mandelson set to be named UK ambassador to the US

Lord Peter Mandelson is expected to be announced as UK ambassador to the United States as Sir Keir Starmer prepares for a Donald Trump presidency.

- JABED AHMED, KATE DEVLIN

The prime minister is said to believe Lord Mandelson has the trade expertise and networking abilities to bolster the UK’s interests during a delicate period for relations with the US.

Lord Mandelson, 71, last served in government 14 years ago when Gordon Brown was prime minister.

The Labour grandee has long been seen as one of the leading candidates for the job. He will replace Dame Karen Pierce, whose service in Washington DC is expected to conclude in early 2025.

Lord Mandelson is often described as one of the key architects of New Labour. He was the Labour MP for Hartlepool from 1992 to 2004, during which time he served as secretary of state for Northern Ireland.

But in 1998, Sir Tony fired the man who later served as business secretary for failing to disclose a home loan from a senior minister.

Soon after his return, he was forced to quit once more due to a passport scandal involving the billionaire businessmen, the Hinduja brothers. When he was elected to the Hartlepool seat in 2001, he famously declared that he was a “fighter not a quitter”.