It was a small meaning – which could be overinterpreted – but it nevertheless caused distress among some in the government at a time when there is no great general confidence that political relations between the United Kingdom and the United States are as strong as they are. they should be.
On Sunday, the British embassy in Washington hosted a party for members of the incoming army. Triumph administration: a chance to boost goodwill among supporters of the 47th president as they prepared to arrive in the nation’s capital.
Organizers were hoping for a high-value guest: someone who is neither a household name nor a member of Trump’s incoming Cabinet, but who would become the most powerful aide of them all within hours: Susie Wiles, Donald Chief of Staff. Trump cabinet and longtime political consultant.
Wiles is credited with injecting a level of professionalism into Trump 2.0 absent in 2016 and 2017, and is so close to Trump that he invited her to take the microphone as part of his victory speech on Election Day in November. As he almost always does, he refused to be the center of attention.
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There are many good and understandable reasons why Wiles would have been absent from a party at the British embassy hours before his man was sworn in and returned to the White House.
The embassy told us that she was writing the president’s speech for the next day.
But his absence was nonetheless a disappointment felt on both sides of the Atlantic. It appears to be just the latest source of insecurity as the special relationship is put to the test. Insecurity in a very difficult time.
As Donald 2.0 returns to the world stage, the rhetoric of Keir Starmer and David Lammy He could not, on the surface, appear more confident in US-UK ties.
In remarks released Sunday night, the prime minister spoke of a shared history of fighting common enemies and deepening the special relationship. But behind the scenes, there is much less certainty that everything is fine, and we will soon see if this is true.
Nowhere will this be tested more quickly and brutally than in the attitude of the White House, Trump’s allies, and the president himself toward Mr Peter Mandelson – the man Downing Road hopes will be the incoming British ambassador to Washington.
Sometime in February, Lord Mandelson – known as the Prince of Darkness for his days as a New Labor adviser – will fly to Washington to present his credentials to the new president, a precondition for beginning work in the office.
But in truth, no one really knows what will happen at that point: whether they will be accepted and whether Lord Mandelson will be able to carry out the job Starmer has given him.
In London on Sunday, government sources went to work claiming that the suggestion that his application to be the next resident of 3100 Massachusetts Avenue could be rejected was just “bar gossip.”
But it is not.
In parts of the government it is considered a clear and present danger. A full-scale diplomatic effort will be made over the coming weeks to secure Lord Mandelson’s position. There is a lot at stake, due to the way Number 10 has made this selection.
The foundations of our bond with the United States – shared history, the Five Eyes security alliance, military and diplomatic cooperation – mean that a special relationship will almost certainly endure whatever the path of Trump’s second presidency.
But the political links between Labour The party’s Republicans and Trump supporters are deeply worn down and have gotten worse recently, according to multiple sources I’ve spoken to, and much of this could influence how Trumpland decides to treat Lord Mandelson in the coming weeks.
Some of those around Trump have made clear that the incoming president is still determined to reject Mandelson’s credentials for two reasons: previous criticism of the president himself and also because of his support for China and its trade dealings with a country that does not enjoy the favor of the United States. .
All this in the context of the first diplomatic political appointment in Washington in decades.
This means Lord Mandelson is also weighed down by all the baggage from months of wrangling over the Labor Party’s efforts to campaign for rival Kamala Harris and the role of Starmer pollster Deborah Mattinson in the US during the election.
However, I am told that the way Downing Road named Lord Mandelson was as big a problem as the name itself.
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Long before the election, the Labor Party stated its preference for a political appointee to succeed Karen Pierce, the respected incumbent.
But months passed and Number 10 delayed the decision, creating a vacuum that Mrs Pierce filled with what some saw as a campaign to remain in office.
In Trumpland, she made sure she was considered the best woman for the job and, according to sources, even managed to get on President Trump’s own radar.
The rest of Washington also recognized their success in reaching out to the now president.
It took until December, and a visit from Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, before the decision was made that Lord Mandelson should get the job and make it clear that he would start within weeks.
It was an abrupt end to Ms. Pierce’s time. The incoming president’s allies, who were fond of Mrs. Pierce, were horrified. “Trumpland was horrified,” one source told me. “They were saying we want you to stay.”
Stories of his horror have ricocheted around Whitehall, with a Foreign Office source claiming they believe Lord Mandelson is “dead on arrival” as he is, and that a major effort is needed to reverse this.
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Lord Mandelson is the “best option”, says Lord Darroch
Inside the government, there is a recognition that they did not initially imagine how ill-tempered Trump’s allies had become, and how serious the consequences could be for a prime minister who has unexpectedly made foreign policy such a key part of his job.
Now there is irritation in all directions. Whitehall sources said today that Number 10 is angry with Ms Pierce, who they blame for making life difficult for Lord Mandelson.
“They are reporting that Karen is ‘vindictive’ and she better be careful or she won’t get an honor. It’s ridiculous. Go 25 years of service and this is how it ends. This is disgusting, there is no respect,” they said.
No 10 denies any rift, on the day Mrs Pierce is the only UK government representative at the inauguration. The Foreign Office insists Ms Pierce has only been doing the job she was given.
Whatever happens, a huge fight is underway to ensure that Lord Mandelson gets the job he has been given.
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UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer sent a message to Trump on the day of his inauguration.
However, all this for a Labor figure who some claim is not as close to Sir Keir as some assume.
He is well liked by the chief of staff, Mr McSweeney, but I am told that Sir Keir has had flashes of irritation towards Lord Mandelson both in the run-up to the general election and during the autumn – even as the selection process for ambassador was underway.
Disturbingly, there is precedent for Trumpland expelling a UK ambassador: Sir Kim Darroch was effectively excommunicated by Trump during the first presidency after disobedient cables written by Sir Kim while he was in office were leaked.
Lord Mandelson won’t make that mistake: he wrote an ingratiating article last Friday on Fox Information’s website praising Trump’s “candor and agreements.” He knows what he has to do.
The question now is to what extent he holds a grudge against Trumpland. The 47th president is at the peak of his power in the coming months and is signaling that he is unwilling to back down, but it is unclear how many fights he wants to pick at once.
Sir Keir and David Lammy will travel to the US in the coming weeks, when ensuring our man’s smooth transition in the US is a priority.
But it is clear that nothing is obvious. Susie Wiles’ failure to attend Sunday’s event led some to speculate that perhaps she was behind some of the briefings that ended up in Sunday’s newspapers. With the fate of Lord Mandelson, as with everything else: nothing is certain in Trumpland… yet.
