Lord Peter Mandelson is expected to be named as the UK’s next ambassador to the US.
The Labour grandee, who served in multiple ministerial roles under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown before taking up a life peerage in the Lords, was considered to be one of the frontrunners for the position.
He will replace Dame Karen Pierce, whose term in Washington DC is due to end in early 2025.
An architect of New Labour, Lord Mandelson was seen as a key adviser to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in the run up to the 2024 election.
During that election, he was among the hosts of the How To Win An Election podcast for the Times, while also serving as a trustee of the Design Museum and chancellor of Manchester Metropolitan University.
His name was linked to the chancellorship of the University of Oxford, where he once studied, which ultimately went to former Conservative leader Lord William Hague.
Of the US ambassador role, he said in November that “nobody has actually spoken to me about it”.
Lord Mandelson, 71, told the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme, though, he was “more in favour of a new relationship rather than a special one” with the US, and “would be very interested indeed in giving advice about trade to whoever is appointed”.
His appointment comes ahead of the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump on 20 January.
Trump has pledged to impose wide-ranging tariffs on his first day in office, which experts say could cost the UK £22bn.
Sir Keir said on Thursday the UK would “have to make sure that we avoid tariffs” when asked about Trump’s comments, and reiterated that he wants to improve trade with Washington.
A government source said: “The fact the prime minister has chosen to make a political appointment and sent Lord Mandelson to Washington shows just how importantly we see our relationship with the Trump administration.
“We’re sending someone close to the prime minister with unrivalled political and policy experience, particularly on the crucial issue of trade. He’s the ideal candidate to represent the UK’s economic and security interests in the USA.”
Both the White House and Trump campaign were notified of the appointment in advance.
Lord Mandelson was the Labour MP for Hartlepool from 1992 to 2004, during which time he served as Northern Ireland secretary and business secretary under Blair. He stood down as an MP in 2004 to become a European Commissioner.
He also resigned twice as a minister – once for failing to declare a home loan from a cabinet colleague, and a second time over accusations of using his position to influence a passport application.
