Peter Mandelson will be UK’s next US ambassador

LONDON — Peter Mandelson, a former Cabinet heavyweight in Tony Blair’s government, is set to become Britain’s new ambassador to the United States.

An announcement on the role — a crucial Transatlantic link as U.S. president-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House — is expected from No.10 Downing Street Friday.

A government official, granted anonymity to discuss the appointment ahead of its official announcement, said Mandelson’s ministerial experience, as well as his stint as a European trade commissioner, had helped him win out over rivals for the coveted job.

Mandelson is a veteran political operator who helped transform Britain’s center-left Labour movement in the 1990s as it returned from the political wilderness. He twice resigned under a cloud from Blair’s governments — but made a striking frontline comeback in the dying days of Gordon Brown’s administration.

A fierce critic of Brexit, Mandelson served as European commissioner for trade for a four-year stint in the 2000s, and currently has a seat in the House of Lords, the upper chamber of the British parliament.

The same official referenced above said Mandelson had a “proven track record” on business matters and would be crucial as the U.K. tries to shore up its trading relationship with the U.S. and boost economic growth.

There had been discussion in No. 10 Downing Street about handing the role, currently occupied by Karen Pierce, to former Labour Foreign Secretary David Miliband, had Kamala Harris triumphed in the U.S. election instead of Trump.

Another person with knowledge of the appointment talked Mandelson up as a big character able to make an impact with Trump.

Crucial issues likely to be in his in-tray include trying to shore up U.S. support for Ukraine under a Trump administration and ensuring the U.K. economy isn’t hammered by import tariffs threatened by the incoming president-elect.

Speaking on the Times’ How to win an election podcast before the appointment, Mandelson said the U.K. has “got to find a way to have our cake and eat it” on whether to prioritize U.K. or U.S. trade.

He has also called on the U.K. government to find a way to move past 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 Keir Starmer.

This developing story is being updated.