Donald Trump may reject Sir Keir Starmer’s nominee for ambassador. (Image: PA)
Donald Trump is not yet certain if he will accept the Prime Minister’s nominee for UK ambassador to the US ahead of his inauguration on Monday.
Sir has put forward Peter Mandelson, yet sources within the Trump team have disclosed he may not be accepted when Mr Trump re-enters the White House, The Independent reports.
The rare move could heighten friction between the two nations as the threat of rejecting Lord Mandelson has been attributed to the strained relationship between the Labour government and the Trump administration.
On Friday, Reform UK leader hosted a pre-inauguration party in Washingtong DC. Despite Lord Manelson being invited in order to build bridges between the two teams, he did not attend.
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Lord Mandelson is the Prime Minister’s nominee for UK ambassador to the US. (Image: Getty)
The outgoing UK ambassador Dame Karen Pierce was in attendance.
Labour had told the Trump transition team that Sir Keir sending such a senior Labour figure out “is a huge compliment”, however, a source from the other side said: “We are not buying that.”
The Independent reports that a source said the strained relationship between Mr Trump and Sir Keir’s government remains an issue which has “been made worse” by the nomination of Lord Mandelson.
The nominee for the UK ambassador has raised alarm bells due to his connections with China, as he is a strong advocate of close trading and other ties with the country.
“It is quite possible that Mandelson’s credentials could still be rejected,” a source said. “There are serious concerns about his links to China.”
President-Elect Trump will be inaugurated on Monday. (Image: Getty)
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The wider Labour government raises concerns for Mr Trump too as the source said: “It [Starmer’s government] is perceived as anti-free speech by the incoming administration,” the source added. “That is a big red line.”
Another issue is also the appointment of foreign secretary David Lammy, who had made previous derogatory remarks on social media about the president-elect. He and Sir Keir joined Mr Trump and his team for dinner earlier this year.
“Starmer, Lammy and Trump sat down for that dinner,” the source explained. “They make a lot about Lammy being given a second helping by Trump but all that does not matter because Labour then sent out activists to help . Starmer had a terrible briefing saying Harris would win and his actions after undid any goodwill he may have had.