Connect with us

Published

on

The post may be seen as glittering and the man as controversial and divisive but beyond those truths, the role of British ambassador to Washington is pivotal and relationship-defining.

That is particularly the case right now: to navigate the “special relationship” through Donald Trump‘s second presidency.

And so this is not a decision that would have been taken without serious consideration despite the baggage some may see Lord Mandelson as carrying.

It follows months of speculation over who could get the job.

‘Brutal’ figure ‘an inspired choice’ – politics latest

Back last summer, before Trump won the election, a candidate had already been identified by former prime minister Rishi Sunak. He’d given the nod to his national security advisor Sir Tim Barrow, a former ambassador to Russia and the EU.

But then Sunak lost the election. He was out along with his pick. One of diplomacy’s best jobs and Washington’s finest buildings was almost to be Barrow’s, but not quite. What a blow.

More on Donald Trump

Trump’s victory focused minds. It required a particular candidate and doubtless a particular type of character – not necessarily the same type as would have been chosen to navigate a Harris administration.

Lord Mandelson is a political shapeshifter. He is a sharp and agile operator. He is decisive and direct. But he also understands the sensitivities of navigating Trump’s unpredictable and transactional style.

All those traits could be applied to the person Lord Mandelson will take over from.

British ambassador to the US Karen Pierce pictured in May. Image: AP
Image:
British ambassador to the US Karen Pierce pictured in May. Pic: AP

Dame Karen Pierce became ambassador in 2020 towards the end of Trump’s first term.

A career diplomat, she moved into the role after the previous ambassador, Sir Kim Darroch, was effectively kicked out of America by Trump after a series of less-than-complementary diplomatic cables were leaked.

Dame Karen and her team rebuilt the relationship with Trump’s team and then fostered good terms with the Biden administration with close work on issues like Ukraine.

Read more:
How William and Trump’s meeting was arranged
Trump’s top team – here’s who is in and who is out

And under her leadership the embassy has forged close ties with the incoming Trump administration.

Some view Trump’s presidency as an existential challenge for global diplomacy. Pierce does not see him in quite those terms and nor does Peter Mandelson.

👉 Tap here to follow the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcasts 👈

While an extension of her term was an option for Sir Keir Starmer, sources tell me that it seems more sensible to build on the work she has done with a new ambassador who can get to know the incoming White House team from day one.

His trade background will be seen as vital. It’s a background Pierce doesn’t have. Carving out some sort of trade deal with America at a time when Trump is promising stinging tariffs will be a challenge.

Where Mandelson may fall short is foreign and military policy. In a particularly unstable world, US-UK foreign policy alignment is vital. Mandelson’s experience here does not compare to that of Karen Pierce.

Hours after the Lord Mandelson announcement, embassy staff gathered for their Christmas party in the ambassador’s residence.

No Ferrero Rocher but certainly a nostalgic vibe. Pierce has been diplomatically very effective and is very popular among staff.

Continue Reading

US

Donald Trump’s tariffs will have consequences for globalisation, the US economy and geopolitics

Published

on

By

Donald Trump's tariffs will have consequences for globalisation, the US economy and geopolitics

For decades, trade and trade policy has been an economic and political backwater – decidedly boring, seemingly uncontroversial. 

Trade was mostly free and getting freer, tariffs were getting lower and lower, and the world was becoming more, not less, globalised.

But alongside those long-term trends, there were some serious consequences.

Trump latest: US president announces sweeping global trade tariffs

Mature, developed economies like the UK and US became ever more reliant on cheap imports from China and, in the process, saw their manufacturing sectors shrink.

Large swathes of the rust belt in the US – and much of the Midlands and North of England – were hollowed out.

And to some extent that’s where the story of Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” really began – with the notion that free trade and globalisation had a darker side, a side he wants to remedy via tariffs.

More on Donald Trump

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Trump’s tariffs: Ed Conway analysis

He imposed a set of tariffs in his first term, some on China, some on specific materials like steel and aluminium. But the height and the breadth of those tariffs were as nothing compared with the ones we have just heard about.

Not since the 1930s has the US so radically increased the level of tariffs on all nations across the world. Back then, those tariffs exacerbated the Great Depression.

It’s anyone’s guess as to what the consequences of these ones will be. But there will be consequences.

Consequences for the nature of globalisation, consequences for the US economy (tariffs are exceptionally inflationary), consequences for geopolitics.

President Trump with his list of tariffs for various countries. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Imports from the UK will face a 10% tariff, while EU goods will see 20% rates. Pic: Reuters

And to some extent, merely knowing that little bit more about the White House’s plans will deliver a bit of relief to financial markets, which have fretted for months about the imposition of tariffs. That uncertainty recently reached unprecedented levels.

But don’t for a moment assume that this saga is over. Nothing of the sort. In the coming days, we will learn more – more about the nuts and bolts of these policies, more about the retaliatory measures coming from other countries.

We will, possibly, get more of a sense about whether some countries – including the UK – will enjoy reprieves from the tariffs.

To paraphrase Churchill, this isn’t the end of the trade war, or even the beginning of the end – perhaps just the end of the beginning.

Continue Reading

US

‘A genius actor’, ‘firecracker’, and ‘my friend’: Tributes paid to Top Gun star Val Kilmer

Published

on

By

'A genius actor', 'firecracker', and 'my friend': Tributes paid to Top Gun star Val Kilmer

Actors, directors and celebrity friends have paid tribute to Val Kilmer, after he died aged 65.

The California-born star of Top Gun, Batman and Heat died of pneumonia on Tuesday night in Los Angeles, his daughter Mercedes told the Associated Press.

She said Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 but later recovered.

Tributes flooded in after reports broke of the actor’s death, with No Country For Old Men star Josh Brolin among the first to share their memories.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Watch: Val Kilmer in his most iconic roles

He wrote on Instagram: “See ya, pal. I’m going to miss you. You were a smart, challenging, brave, uber-creative firecracker. There’s not a lot left of those.

“I hope to see you up there in the heavens when I eventually get there. Until then, amazing memories, lovely thoughts.”

Kyle Maclachlan, who co-starred with Kilmer in the 1991 biopic The Doors, wrote on social media: “You’ll always be my Jim. See you on the other side my friend.”

More from Ents & Arts

Michael Mann, who directed Kilmer in 1995’s Heat, also paid tribute in a statement, saying: “I always marvelled at the range, the brilliant variability within the powerful current of Val’s possessing and expressing character.

“After so many years of Val battling disease and maintaining his spirit, this is tremendously sad news.”

preview image

Heat co-star Danny Trejo also called Kilmer “a great actor, a wonderful person, and a dear friend of mine” on Instagram.

Cher, who once dated the actor, said on X that “U Were Funny, crazy, pain in the ass, GREAT FRIEND… BRILLIANT as Mark Twain, BRAVE here during ur sickness”.

Lifelong friend and director of Twixt, Francis Ford Coppola said: “Val Kilmer was the most talented actor when in his High School, and that talent only grew greater throughout his life.

“He was a wonderful person to work with and a joy to know – I will always remember him.”

The Top Gun account on X also said it was remembering Kilmer, who starred as Iceman in both the 1986 original and 2022 sequel, and “whose indelible cinematic mark spanned genres and generations”.

Nicolas Cage added that “I always liked Val and am sad to hear of his passing”.

“I thought he was a genius actor,” he said. “I enjoyed working with him on Bad Lieutenant and I admired his commitment and sense of humor.

“He should have won the Oscar for The Doors.”

Continue Reading

US

Elon Musk calls reports he will step back from government role ‘fake news’

Published

on

By

Elon Musk calls reports he will step back from government role 'fake news'

Elon Musk has called reports that he will leave his government role in the coming months “fake news”.

A senior White House official previously told NBC News, Sky’s US partner network, that Donald Trump had discussed the Tesla and X boss transitioning back to the private sector at a cabinet meeting last month.

Donald Trump walks with Elon Musk before attending a viewing of the launch of the sixth test flight of the SpaceX Starship rocket, in Brownsville, Texas, U.S., November 19, 2024 . Brandon Bell/Pool via REUTERS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Image:
The Tesla boss has headed DOGE since 20 January. File pic: Reuters

After reports emerged of the meeting, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said it was “garbage” and added: “Elon Musk and President Trump have both publicly stated that Elon will depart from public service as a special government employee when his incredible work at DOGE is complete.”

Mr Musk added in response on X: “Yeah, fake news.”

NBC News reported that the official said Mr Musk would leave at the end of his 130 days as a special government employee.

That would be 30 May, but it is unclear if the billionaire businessman will indeed leave on that date.

Previously, the White House said that as a temporary organisation, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) would be terminated on 4 July next year – the 250th anniversary of the US.

More on Donald Trump

👉 Follow Trump 100 on your podcast app 👈

It comes days after Mr Musk said some members of his DOGE team were getting death threats on a daily basis.

Mr Musk had drawn criticism over his efforts to downsize the US federal government.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

‘Elon Musk has got to go’

In just weeks, entire agencies were dismantled, and tens of thousands of workers from the 2.3 million federal workforce have been fired or have agreed to leave their jobs.

A number of lawsuits were filed in state and federal courts over cuts recommended by DOGE.

Continue Reading

Trending