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The UK must respect President Donald Trump’s “strong and clear mandate for change”, the new UK ambassador to the US has told the BBC on his first day in the role.
Lord Peter Mandelson said the UK would not necessarily agree with every detail of Trump’s agenda, but added: “We have to respect and understand what drives him, what his mandate is to do, and how his allies need to adjust sometimes.”
Earlier on Monday, he presented his diplomatic credentials (a formal letter from King Charles) to the US State Department and officially became the new ambassador.
The 71-year-old, one of the best known figures in British politics having served in several Labour governments, is the first political appointee to the role in 50 years.
Asked how he would approach the position of US ambassador, Lord Mandelson said there was already a “strong relationship between our government and a very warm personal relationship between [Trump] and our prime minister”.
“Each of us wants to grow our economies,” he said. “I think that what we need to do is to build a technology and investment relationship between the US and the UK that’s fit for the 21st Century. That’s where I want to focus.”
Last week, Trump told the BBC that tariffs on EU goods could happen “pretty soon” – but suggested a deal could be “worked out” with the UK.
US allies are also waiting nervously for possible tariffs on steel and aluminium, which could upend markets around the world.
Lord Mandelson said he is “concerned” about the possibility of tariffs, but added: “We actually have a very balanced trade relationship between Britain and the US. I don’t believe that his tariffs are actually directly targeted at us.”
“But of course, that shouldn’t make us complacent, and I’m not complacent. I’m going to focus, in a laser-like way, on the dialogue between us to make sure that we do not become collateral damage in the US,” he continued.
“But in the meantime, I don’t think we should be overreacting.”
The political veteran who helped mastermind Labour’s renewal in the 1980s and 1990s, and was twice forced to resign from Tony Blair’s government, has staged a political comeback with his arrival in Washington.
He is understood to already be planning how best to deploy Prime Minister Keir Starmer, with officials considering inviting the president on a second state visit to London.
Lord Mandelson told the BBC that Starmer and Trump share a “warm personal relationship”, which should make trade negotiations easier.
“I’m not just going to stay in Washington DC. I’m going to go out right across this country in order to spread the message of Britain’s strengths, our qualities, our attributes, and why we are such an important and worthwhile country for Americans to invest in,” he said.
The UK must respect President Donald Trump’s “strong and clear mandate for change”, the new UK ambassador to the US has told the BBC on his first day in the role.
Lord Peter Mandelson said the UK would not necessarily agree with every detail of Trump’s agenda, but added: “We have to respect and understand what drives him, what his mandate is to do, and how his allies need to adjust sometimes.”
Earlier on Monday, he presented his diplomatic credentials (a formal letter from King Charles) to the US State Department and officially became the new ambassador.
The 71-year-old, one of the best known figures in British politics having served in several Labour governments, is the first political appointee to the role in 50 years.
Asked how he would approach the position of US ambassador, Lord Mandelson said there was already a “strong relationship between our government and a very warm personal relationship between [Trump] and our prime minister”.
“Each of us wants to grow our economies,” he said. “I think that what we need to do is to build a technology and investment relationship between the US and the UK that’s fit for the 21st Century. That’s where I want to focus.”
Last week, Trump told the BBC that tariffs on EU goods could happen “pretty soon” – but suggested a deal could be “worked out” with the UK.
US allies are also waiting nervously for possible tariffs on steel and aluminium, which could upend markets around the world.
Lord Mandelson said he is “concerned” about the possibility of tariffs, but added: “We actually have a very balanced trade relationship between Britain and the US. I don’t believe that his tariffs are actually directly targeted at us.”
“But of course, that shouldn’t make us complacent, and I’m not complacent. I’m going to focus, in a laser-like way, on the dialogue between us to make sure that we do not become collateral damage in the US,” he continued.
“But in the meantime, I don’t think we should be overreacting.”
The political veteran who helped mastermind Labour’s renewal in the 1980s and 1990s, and was twice forced to resign from Tony Blair’s government, has staged a political comeback with his arrival in Washington.
He is understood to already be planning how best to deploy Prime Minister Keir Starmer, with officials considering inviting the president on a second state visit to London.
Lord Mandelson told the BBC that Starmer and Trump share a “warm personal relationship”, which should make trade negotiations easier.
“I’m not just going to stay in Washington DC. I’m going to go out right across this country in order to spread the message of Britain’s strengths, our qualities, our attributes, and why we are such an important and worthwhile country for Americans to invest in,” he said.
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