Cometh the hour, cometh the Mandelson: UK ambassador rides crest of a commerce deal

Peter Mandelson, along with his elegant fits, easy patter and high-end way of life, has all the time had a darkish secret: an curiosity within the trivialities of commerce offers, left over from his interval as EU commerce commissioner, a interval when he might bore for Europe on the virtues of the Mercosur commerce deal. Alongside his networking expertise, and political antennae, it was his data of commerce that probably persuaded Keir Starmer to take the political threat of appointing him ambassador to Washington. A professional-European social democrat with a full file of insulting remarks about Donald Trump’s racism, Lord Mandelson may not have been…