Trump Aides Warned Against Mandelson as UK Ambassador

0:00On March 20, Trump aides warned Keir Starmer's team twice against the pointing Peter Mandelson as the next UK ambassador to the United States. The concern centered on Mandelson's past sharp criticisms of Donald Trump, where he called him a danger to the world and a racist. This came in early December 2024, just before Trump's second term began. The warnings happened first during a meeting in Florida with UK National Security Advisor Jonathan Powell, and then Chief of Staff Morgan McSweeney. A follow-up phone call repeated the message later that month. Officials also objected to pushing aside the current ambassador, Career Diplomat Karen Pierce. Downing Street declined to comment, while a White House spokeswoman called the reports inaccurate. Pressure is mounting on Prime Minister Starmer after it emerged that the government's ethics chief was twice blocked from questioning Mandelson before. His appointment. A due diligence report had flag reputational risks. Separately, London's Metropolitan Police are investigating Mandelson over an email he

1:01sent to Jeffrey Epstein years ago, about a 500 billion. Euro bailout during his time as business secretary. He was arrested on February 23rd on suspicion of misconduct in public office, bailed, and later released from bail conditions, though the probe continues. Human has denied wrongdoing and recently expressed confidence in building ties with Trump's team, saying his old remarks were ill-judged. As these tensions simmer, the ambassador role remains a flashpoint in UK-US relations.