In the palatial ambassador’s residence in Washington, all eyes were watching Peter Mandelson fulfil his first diplomatic engagement.
The British ambassador to the US – who once described Donald Trump as a ‘danger to the world’ – had changed his tune.
Mr Trump is a ‘very consequential President’, he told a crowd including White House officials and business leaders.
Standing beneath a portrait of Queen Elizabeth I on Wednesday evening, the architect of New Labour emphasised the close ties between the US and UK, saying they ‘basically share everything together’.
The British ambassador to the US – who once described Donald Trump as a ‘danger to the world’ – had changed his tune
Mr Trump is a ‘very consequential President’, he told a crowd including White House officials and business leaders
‘We share people, we share cultures, we share a lot of intelligence, we share technologies, and… we also share some of the fighting of our adversaries as well.
‘And of course one thing we don’t need to fight over is trade, because we have this fantastically fair and balanced trade relationship when we reciprocate so much – that’s just a little thing for you to remember in the coming weeks.’
Lord Mandelson then introduced Sir Keir Starmer, who had touched down in DC just moments beforehand.
Addressing the audience, Sir Keir said: ‘I’ve only just arrived but already I can feel there’s a real buzz around Washington right now. You can sense that there’s a new leader. He’s a true one-off, a pioneer in business, in politics. Many people love him. Others love to hate him. But to us, he’s just… Peter.’
Lord Mandelson, who took up his post this month, said the world was ‘living through a very significant moment for our lives, between our two countries and indeed for all the freedom-loving democracies in the world’.
Since his appointment, Lord Mandelson has sought to play down his past comments about Mr Trump. He told the New York Times: ‘In 2019, I was a bit irate… But nonetheless, the words I used about the President were childish and wrong.’
