Mandelson must make his voice ‘the most important’ as ambassador to US – Darroch

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Sir Keir Starmer confirmed on Friday that Lord Peter Mandelson has been chosen as the UK’s ambassador in Washington, as US President-elect Donald Trump is set to return to the White House. Former British ambassador to the US Lord Darroch said life under a Trump presidency will be “like a 24/7 bar-room brawl”. “You get this sort of stuff going on all the time, you need to have a thick skin, and you need to manage it and to get through it, to weather it, as it were, so Lord Mandelson is a very experienced politician, I’m sure he can cope with this kind of stuff.” Asked if the relationship between Mr Trump and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage will “get in the way” for Lord Mandelson, Lord Darroch said: “It’s just going to be part of the landscape.” He said Farage “has a strong personal relationship with Donald Trump”, adding: “It’s clear that Farage is going to be over in Washington, perhaps more often than he is in Clacton.” I wouldn’t, if I were Mandelson, worry too much about other voices in Donald Trump’s ear, that’s just going to happen Lord Kim Darroch On the role of the new ambassador, Lord Darroch said: “Peter Mandelson will speak for the British Government, and Donald Trump, ultimately, is interested in power, and he will know that Keir Starmer has a huge majority in the British Parliament and is likely to be Prime Minister for the whole of Donald Trump’s second term. “What you’ve got to do is make yours the most important voice.” Lord Darroch said his advice to the next ambassador is to watch out for Mr Trump’s “5am tweet storm”.