“In any case, Peter Mandelson does not go unnoticed anywhere,” said Lamy. “Wherever he goes, whatever he does, he always gets noticed. He is an extraordinary personality.”
China record
On China, Mandelson has called for fresh economic dialogue between Britain and Beijing. That may clash with the hawkish views of some of Trump’s picks, including his choice for secretary of state, Marco Rubio.
“It is absurd to imagine putting a country of such weight in the naughty corner,” Mandelson wrote in 2018 of relations between China and the U.S. during Trump’s first spell in the White House.
Mandelson has also called on the U.K. government to get over its ongoing feud with Trump ally Elon Musk, warning it would be “unwise to ignore” the tech tycoon despite his strident criticism of British Prime Minister Starmer and flirtation with Farage’s Reform party.
Mandelson, who has faced scrutiny for his post-government business interests, has meanwhile “transitioned into a new role” at the lobbying consultancy he co-founded, Global Counsel announced Friday morning. The agency vowed to “watch from the sidelines as he represents King and country in Washington D.C.”
Others were less thrilled.
John McDonnell, a key ally of left-wing former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, of whom Mandelson was a constant critic, said: “For many reasons associated with Peter Mandelson’s history in and out of political office many will feel Keir has lost all sense of political judgement on this decision.”
Dan Bloom and Emilio Casalicchio contributed to this report. Camille Gijs contributed from Brussels.
