, david cameron, they knew_ gordon brown, david cameron, they knew that, _ gordon brown, david cameron did not listen to— knew that, but keir starmer did not listen to people like the institute for government who said this is how you do— for government who said this is how you do it _ for government who said this is how you do it. being prime minister is not difficult. you do it. being prime minister is not difficult-— you do it. being prime minister is not difficult.- it _ you do it. being prime minister is not difficult.- it really - you do it. being prime minister is not difficult.- it really is l not difficult. really? it really is not difficult. really? it really is not difficult. _ not difficult. really? it really is not difficult, but _ not difficult. really? it really is not difficult, but the _ not difficult. really? it really is not difficult, but the way - not difficult. really? it really is not difficult, but the way they l not difficult, but the way they choose — not difficult, but the way they choose to do it makes it difficult. there _ choose to do it makes it difficult.

he was last a minister under gordon brown, 14 years ago.ithin labour ranks it would be fair to see he is "loved and loathed in equal measure". not entirely to the taste of those on the left of the party. but it is an important appointment this. given the concern that focus that is always there on the special relationship. sir keir starmer in recent days has talked about resuming talks over a trade deal. and of course lord mandelson served as business secretary and also european commissioner for trade in brussels. helen catt. one of the names long touted for the show, lord mandelson, he has been cagey about it. one of the names in the frame certainly. two things are striking about him is a choice, the first this comes after many years when actually the top diplomats of the uk centre washington have tended to be civil servants or have a civil service background, dame karen pierce for example. a political figure, lord mandelson. an unusual move in and of itself, the second thing is really what has driven the choice we believe, as you outlined

he was last a minister under gordon brown, m years ago. within labour ranks it would be fair to see he is "loved and loathed in equal measure". not entirely to the taste of those on the left of the party. but it is an important appointment this. given the concern that focus that is always there on the special relationship. sir keir starmer in recent days has talked about resuming talks over a trade deal. and of course lord mandelson served as business secretary and also european commissioner for trade in brussels. christopher steele. the right man with red experience? i think he has useful experience in affairs and trade, i think it is a brave appointment given a social democratic is in favour of free trade on the other side. out of coat with donald trump. perhaps good person to put forward the government's position on these things. lard position on these things. lord kim darroch _ position on these things. lord kim darroch had _ position on these things. lord kim darroch had quite - position on these things. lord kim darroch had quite an

peter mandelson was a cabinet minister in the governments of tony blair and gordon brown, and is seene victory in 1997. he'll take up his new role as donald trump enters the white house. here's our political correspondent helen catt. peter mandelson has been a familiar face in the labour party for decades. he was one of the driving forces behind the creation of new labour in the 1990s, a trusted adviser to tony blair with a reputation as a master of spin. he'd been rumoured as a potential candidate for a while, but had been cagey when asked about being the ambassador. would you be interested if you were asked? - i would be very interested, indeed, in giving advice about trade to whoever is appointed. elected as the mp for hartlepool in 1992, peter mandelson went on to serve in tony blair's cabinet, but was forced to resign twice. in the noughties, he went to brussels as the european trade commissioner before returning as business secretary under gordon brown. it's his experience of trade that is one of the reasons behind his appointment as ambassador. donald trump has talked of imposi

former adviser also to gordon brown. claude murray a former european member of parliament.on a couple from the conservatives. joanne cash, co—founder of... people will be pouring in with those names. the nominations for the leader of the conservative party going into the house of lords. zoe ball has described presenting radio 2's breakfast show as "an absolute privilege", as she signed off for the last time. the 54—year—old announced her departure in november, after six years behind the mic. kylie minogue and david tennant were among the stars on her final programme. here's our culture reporter noor nanji. another day, another destiny. one final show from me, zb. onlyjoking, i'm not going to sing! let's have some daft punk. and so it began, zoe ball's last radio 2 show, filled with tributes, including from her colleagues. i am going to miss waking up with you every single morning. my massive cavalier hat is doffed to you. you are an absolute gem. she also reflected on what it all meant to her. it's been such a gift to show can do this show, to follow wonderful terry and of

peter mandelson was a former cabinet minister in the governments of tony blair and gordon brown and ise house. here's our political correspondent helen catt. peter mandelson has been a familiarface in peter mandelson has been a familiar face in the peter mandelson has been a familiarface in the labour party for decades. it was one of the driving forces behind the creation of new labour in the creation of new labour in the 1990s. the creation of new labour in the 19905. a the creation of new labour in the 1990s. a trusted advisor to tony blair with a reputation as a master of spin. he had been rumoured as a potential candidate for a while, but had been cagey when asked about being the ambassador.- been cagey when asked about being the ambassador. would you being the ambassador. would you be interested _ being the ambassador. would you be interested if _ being the ambassador. would you be interested if you _ being the ambassador. would you be interested if you were - be interested if you were asked?

course, in the labour party, seen by many as the architect of new labour under tony blair and gordon brownion in the hours ahead. —— plenty more there's growing concern about the increase in the number of islamic councils in the uk. these are informal bodies that issue religious rulings on marriages and divorces — many of which aren't recognised in the uk. an estimated 85 islamic councils could be operating in britain. they have conducted around 100,000 marriages, many not officially registered. some claim these courts allow men to "normalise" polygamy, give daughters half as much inheritance as sons, and end their marriages by saying "divorce" three times. let's speak to baroness shaista gohir, ceo of the muslim women's network uk. thank you for coming on the programme. thank you for coming on the programme-— thank you for coming on the ”roramme. ,., ., ., ~ programme. good evening. thank ou for programme. good evening. thank you for having _ programme. good evening. thank you for having me _ programme. good evening. thank you for having me on. _ programme. good evening. thank you for hav

peter mandelson was a former cabinet minister in the governments of tony blair and gordon brown and isdslide victory in 1997. he will take up his new role as donald trump enters the white house. let's speak to sir simon fraser, who was peter mandelson's chief of staff when he served as european trade commissioner. simon, thank you for being with us. is peter mandelson to the right man for this very, very sensitive and delicate job? thank you for having me. yes, i think probably at the moment it is a very good choice. peter mandelson is always somebody who can generate a bit of controversy, but if you look at his career he has a very experienced political operator, a very experienced international negotiator. with the americans, with the chinese, he has operated with the european union. he brings great experience to this. he is very well—connected politically in this government and that is what we need in our ambassador. it is a really important appointment at a very important time, so i think it is a good one. ~ . , time, so i think it is a good one. ~ ., , ., . ., one. we have seen a

trade, his role as a commissioner for trade in the past, business secretary when he was under gordon brown's. it is that experience, because we know there is going to be such a focus on that as part of the u.k.-u.s. relationship under the trump administration, it seems to have been behind this choice, and it's also added to the fact that he is close to the prime minister. a government source says that this shows how importantly they see their relationship with the trump administration that we are sending someone close to the prime minister with unrivaled political and policy experience, particularly on the crucial issue of trade. this has not been formally announced yet. i'm told by foreign office sources that will happen, as they put it, in the usual way. but he has been chosen as the next ambassador. christian: just a real quickie, he is the one who said the party needed to do better in its relationship with elon musk. they did talk, sir keir starmer and the president, yesterday. given what happened to lord kim derek and the way he was ousted, it is a tricky job, this. helen: it is, but lo

went to brussels as the european trade commissioner before returning as business secretary under gordon brownience of trade that's one of the reasons behind his appointment as ambassador. donald trump has talked of imposing big tariffs on imports into the us, which the prime minister yesterday told mps the uk needed to avoid. it won't come as any surprise to you that i'm not a fan of tariffs. and therefore we have to make sure that we avoid tariffs. we've got very good trade with the us as we've got very good trade with other countries around the world. i want to improve on that. a government source said that lord mandelson was close to the prime minister, with unrivalled political and policy experience, particularly on the crucial issue of trade. it's also thought his political nous will help him handle what could be a tricky relationship with an unpredictable president. one thing that is a certainty with the trump government is in that sam tweet storm that comes most mornings of the week, at some point, trump will say something, will tweet something, that will be quite a story in the uk. he

the former british prime minister gordon brown has also paid tribute, telling the bbc�*s today programmey behind. i think the secret of his success was that when you met him, he treated everyone equally — he was subservient to no—one and he was condescending to no—one and i think that's why he became so admired. he was called on in every part of the world to be a negotiator for peace, that's why he won the nobel peace prize, and also to defend and advance human rights, and there are people in prison today, people being tortured today, people who have had their human rights removed, who have relied onjimmy carter to speak up for them and for the people that he influenced in speaking up for them. and there are many more tributes to jimmy carter, along with a look back at his life, on the bbc news website and app. the egyptian president said his role in achieving the peace agreement between egypt and israel will remain etched in the annals of history. around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. now it's time for a look at today's sport. hello from the bbc sport centre. it's lookin

well, maybe he forgot that his own prime ministers — gordon brown and the predecessor, tony blair — alsors. but now with germany, it's the same thing. and, well, if this is extreme language, well, then they are extreme and it's the same language which we have been using for ten years now. but maybe you're missing a point here, mr boehringer. it's not just about the future policy on the border, about who you let in in the future. it's about what you'll also do with the migrants who are already inside germany. what there has been over the last 12 months in germany is a serious scrutiny of the people inside your party who appear to share the idea that there should be, quote unquote, "a remigration policy" — that is, forcing hundreds of thousands of legal residents, migrants inside germany who have the right to be in germany, forcing them out of germany. and to many people, that sounds like extremism. well, you will not find anything like that in oui’ programmes. and actually, you will not even find something like that in the language of our politicians. it's just not true. it was all a lie.

labour feels that it's �*97 onwards government tony blair and gordon brown government had a record tooud of on surestart and on young children. they felt that education had improved under their under that watch, so inevitably, because of the trouble that they've been in since they took over the budget, that was hardly launched in a smooth way. sue grey went. louise haigh went. but they should be talking about doorstep issues, like what is it like in the classroom? and there's an effort here, i wondered, to try and go back to what labour's meant to do as a as a centre left party, which is to try and talk about what you do with education, how you improve the lot of inequality in schools. and that i got off him. he was trying to go back to the point of the labour party. certainly that does seem to be what keir starmer is focussed on. one of the problems, though, some might argue, is if you look at what happened in the us, some would sayjoe biden did ok with the economy and brought down inflation, but still people didn't feel it. people didn't feel it and. so they didn't give him credit f

the current first minister, john swinney, and former prime minister gordon brown, were among the congregationns by the us that he was part of a multi—million dollar bribery scheme. speaking in the indian city ofjaipur, mr adani said that what he described as "attacks" only made his company stronger. earlier this month, the billionaire and seven others were indicted by us prosecutors and accused of misleading international investors. the world beekeeping awards have announced that honey will not be judged at next year's ceremony because of concerns about fraud within the global supply chain. the awards said the change was necessary because of the inability to fully test the product for adulteration. honey has been facing a authenticity crisis, with jars sometimes bulked out with cheaper sugar syrups. two time oscar winning actress cate blanchett told the bbc she is "deeply concerned" about the impact of artificial intelligence in the film industry. speaking to laura kuenssberg, she said the issues facing wider society were even greater. there are some things that you think, well, that will ben

the labour veteran served in the cabinets of both sir tony blair and gordon brown. tonight, the co—campaign manager of us president—elect donald trump has been disparaging about him. here's our political correspondent, damian grammaticas. 1997, labour's election triumph. at the heart of it, peter mandelson. he helped engineer that victory, political cunning his hallmark. since then, despite repeated scandals, he's proved a survivor. fast forward 25 years, and once again, he's worked his way to the heart of things. the labour party is genuinely back now as the political arm of the british people. his admirers see in him an unusual ability to get close to those in power and a deep knowledge of business. he served in successive labour cabinets and in brussels in a top eu trade role, something that makes him perfect to be our ambassador in the age of donald trump and possible tariff wars to come. he's got really strong experience in trade. he was, of course, an eu trade commissioner. he's got very good political contacts in washington dc, and i think his appointment wou

he served in multiple ministerial roles under prime ministers tony blair and gordon brown.oming government shutdown. they say the deal includes a suspension of the debt limit until 2027. luigi mangione, who's accused of shooting dead the head

as tony blair found and david cameron and gordon brown who all said the same thing, the scars on my back, the system doesn't deliver what politicians imagine it will. >> you're quite right. you're quite right. there is many other reasons why a policy might fail apart from the command of the center. tony blair, like, years after job center plus, complaining had to go to the launch and said didn't we do that years ago, and said no, prime minister, only just started. it is not just recalcitrant councils that means this policy might fall by the way side. but structure and serious deficiencies. >> talking about civil servants and the tepid bath of decline and then this moon shot of building houses that has never been seen since the 1950s. you must look at that and think i can't see how they're going to be able to hit this target. >> well, i know economics is described as the dismal science. i do actually think having -- the way she described it, so, the problem of planning is very low code. the national plan that coordinates is the right approach. >> are you ready to tell them what to do, rig

gordon brown was managing to get up pretty quickly and was the next one after that japanese pie ministert obama also knew how much it meant to the brits. whether it came up in private conversation with the queen in some way, we don't really know, but it would have been obvious from the questioning of recorders -- reporters and the coverage in the media when this phrase special relationships began to seemingly be dropped by the obama administration. what can we do to get things back on track? while, when obama made his first visit 4g 20, he is only one leader of all the 20 nations who gets invited up buckingham palace for lunch and that is the american president. >> what is it mean to be a wireless? -- royalist? >> good question. i think in the uk terms, it means to be supportive of this institution as an important function of our british governance, but also our way of life. on christmas day many brits would settle down in front of the television after christmas lunch and they will watch the monarch come on at 3:00 and deliver their christmas message. i personally feel that this became s

peerages, for example, david cameron gave out 243 life peerages in his time, compared to 34 only for gordon brown as a way of rewarding people who've done the right thing. i'm in favour of honours. i'm in favour of people being rewarded in public life for what they've doneis in public life for what they've done is they've done a good job, but there's no independent assessment as to who should get these honours. so do you think he deserves one? >> having said what you've just said there, they've done a good job. >> yeah probably not. but i mean, neither do a whole lot of other people have got honours. >> yeah. okay. >> yeah. okay. >> lizzie cundy, why is he getting knighted? nana. what a failure, i think. no, no, for his services to public and whatever it was, the people of london deserve a knighthood for putting up with him. i, as a as a woman, i've never felt so unsafe in my town. i can't walk at night. i can't walk away into the car. i am scared, i've had my phone stolen recently. as many others. crime is up, knife crime is up. the underground is unsafe. we know of people that have lost actual

geno smith tosses it to pharaoh brown get smothered and then loses the ball. quarterback kyler gordon strips it away. he initially ran it back for a touchdown. but they called him down by contact. upon review bears ball season, but they couldn't take advantage. and that's because the seahawks we're all over. caleb williams sacking the rookie 7 times. he's been sacked 67 times this season. chicago had one last chance to tie the game. final minute. williams under heavy pressure forced to throw the interception. his first one in 354 passes, which was a rookie quarterback record seahawks keep their playoff hopes alive as they grind out a 6 to 3 and that's sports. >> still some good sports, the wash and hopefully better for our team. soon out going to do for us to kron. 4 news at 11. >> happy holidays from bed and i and we'll see you tomorrow. ♪ you know i'm a dreamer ♪ ♪ but my heart's of gold ♪ ♪ just one more night ♪ ♪ and i'm coming off this long and winding road ♪ ♪ i'm on my way ♪ ♪ i'm on my way ♪ ♪ home sweet home ♪ there's no place like the road home. receive a $5,500 bonus on a n

gordon, i'll send up too fast. so i can make a psalm be for t equal brown as i'll put in dodge. but that's needed, i'll put it back to not so nice. i just, you know, if i do not believe most of you called but i a sales deal. so they've v. so your sales make subhuti also let's try even decide it's real quick. so when i saw you signed it is mostly assessed that i can find the a little girl this is paula. nice summer yadi. yeah. summer yadi bought up to the re plugged in cuz i know how those had them. we see them via waiting via so be in that bundle. uh uh, the bundle. yeah. bundle of the beep spots to consider. sorry, advice. i would default to this uh email, but to discuss this guy. get it right. the way. am i uh, i would say why this in the e. my son was supposed to sick and no sort of a sick get a 5 day guarantee. i didn't get us an answer pretty soon. the 2nd one anymore here is yes, yes. i'd be somebody there between the and we came up with them. they are secure, and then he should be documented the estimate as soon as you know from your room, if i sort of bug infested on but

gordon? i'll send, i'll do fox. i have to make a psalm be for t equal brown, as i'll put in dodge, but that's needed. so i'll put a dodge of 10. not so nice. but you do not believe most of the cobra. a fail the believe so they've v. okay, right. now on your cell phone so that even though it's not just started, it's real quick. so when i send you this, most of the stuff that i signed up on the a this is paula. nice so much yadi or somebody yadi bought any re, plugged in or know how those live had been. we see them via waiting via so be in that bundle. uh uh they will bundle a bundle at the b fox. considered side by side with the default to put the but to the email, but to discuss skype. good. right. so then the way, am i a sale? why? the send the email, send us a full sync. uh no, soon as you get a 5 day guarantee, i didn't get us an awesome day the soonest. and anymore here is yes, yes, i need somebody to be seen on somebody in which we can help with them. they are secure, and then the chevy, documented the estimate is the single from your room. if i can find somebody, because somehow the show must g

gordon, owner of vegan mob. i'm sure you're familiar with his restaurants. i also have latasha brownou'll have to tell me a little bit more about that. and

gordon, owner of vegan mob. i'm sure you're familiar with his restaurants. i also have latasha brownuicy lucy. you'll have to tell me a little bit more about that. and

the labour peer, who served under tony blair and gordon brown, will take up the washington appointmentas donald trump returns to the white house. prime minister sir keir starmer is understood to believe the labour veteran has the trade expertise and networking abilities to bring the uk and america closer together. dame karen pierce, the current ambassador, is expected to remain in post until donald trump's inauguration on the 20th of january. the met office and the rac are warning travellers to prepare for disruptive weather and extremely busy roads as the christmas holiday begins. yellow warnings for high winds have been issued and parts of the uk could see the gusts reaching up to 85 miles an hour. millions of drivers are now starting their journeys, with motoring agencies warning of very heavy congestion on main roads. the rac estimates that more than 29 million journeys will be made in the run up to christmas day, around half happening this weekend. well, today in particular has been branded frantic friday. national highways said the agency will remove road restrictions on 95% of r

peter mandelson was a former cabinet minister in the governments of tony blair and gordon brown and is seen as the architect of labour's landslide victory in 1997. he'll take up his new role as donald trump enters the white house. here's our political correspondent helen catt. peter mandelson has been a familiarface in peter mandelson has been a familiar face in the peter mandelson has been a familiarface in the labour party for decades. it was one of the driving forces behind the creation of new labour in the creation of new labour in the 1990s. the creation of new labour in the 19905. a the creation of new labour in the 1990s. a trusted advisor to tony blair with a reputation as a master of spin. he had been rumoured as a potential candidate for a while, but had been cagey when asked about being the ambassador.- been cagey when asked about being the ambassador. would you being the ambassador. would you be interested _ being the ambassador. would you be interested if _ being the ambassador. would you be interested if you _ being the ambassador. would you be interested if you were - be

and tony blair and gordon brown tackled _ and tony blair and gordon brown tackled the child poverty andlic services from _ rebuild our public services from the _ rebuild our public services from the ground up. this labour government, under keir starmer's leadership, must achieve _ starmer's leadership, must achieve the growth and better living — achieve the growth and better living standards that every part — living standards that every part of— living standards that every part of the country needs and every— part of the country needs and every person in the country desperately needs and deserves. we are _ desperately needs and deserves. we are already rebuilding britain _ we are already rebuilding britain in partnership with working _ britain in partnership with working people and focusing on their— working people and focusing on their priorities. we know that fixing — their priorities. we know that fixing the _ their priorities. we know that fixing the failures of the past will he — fixing the failures of the past will he a _ fixing the failures of the past will be a massive challenge

the labour veteran, who served in the cabinets of both sir tony blair and gordon brown, was also a key starmer in the run—up to the 2024 election. 0ur political correspondent helen catt reports. peter mandelson has been a familiar face in the labour party for decades. he was one of the driving forces behind the creation of new labour in the 1990s, a trusted adviser to tony blair with a reputation as a master of spin. he'd been rumoured as a potential candidate for a while, but had been cagey when asked about being the ambassador. would you be interested if you were asked? - i would be very interested, indeed, in giving advice about trade to whoever is appointed. elected as the mp for hartlepool in 1992, peter mandelson went on to serve in tony blair's cabinet, but was forced to resign twice. in the noughties, he went to brussels as the european trade commissioner before returning as business secretary under gordon brown. it's his experience of trade that is one of the reasons behind his appointment as ambassador. donald trump has talked of imposing big tariffs on imports into the us, w

popped up as the brussels correspondent for the guardian, so i knew him pretty well, but when gordon brownet with him and brought him back in 2008, i was in the deep freeze with him so i did not follow him around and he was rather upset about an interview i did with him for the guardian about northern ireland. when you interview peter mandelson for newspaper, you can see the care he takes with the interview, he has little notes written in his very neat careful handwriting. he thinks very carefully about what he is going to say, and what you have to do when you interview the man who is known as the prince of darkness, is to divine what does he mean, you can sometimes speak in riddles, so we can look at this example injuly when kirsty tackled peter mandelson about the job we are now talking about. let me just either scotch a rumour, or confirm a rumour. there's talk swirling around, when the ambassadorial positions may be handed out, that you may be headed for the united states. no, no, no, no, no. everyone who knows me very well knows i'm heading towards wiltshire, not washington, thank you

lord mandelson, who served in the cabinets of sir tony blair and gordon brown, is poised to be the uk'sext top diplomat in washington in a political appointment as donald trump returns to the white house. prime minister sir keir starmer believes the labour veteran has the trade expertise and networking abilities to bring the uk and america closer together. dame karen pierce, the current ambassador, will remain in the post until trump is inaugurated on the 20th of january, according to the times. elsewhere, millions of drivers start their holiday journeys from today, with motor agencies warning of a pre—christmas panic on the roads and record levels of traffic. data from the rac estimates 29.3 million journeys will be made by motorists in the run up to christmas day. about half of these are set to be made over the weekend, after around 5.7 million journeys on wednesday and thursday. the rac said today will be frantic friday on the roads, with an expected 3 million trips in a bid to help make those journeys smoother, national highways said the agency will remove roadworks on 95% of the ro

lord mandelson, who served under tony blair and gordon brown, will take up the washington appointment as donald trump returns to the white house. sir keir starmer said he would bring unrivalled experience to one of the uk's most important allies. but posting on x, chris lacivita criticised the decision by the uk government to replace a professional diplomat with what he described as an absolute moron, as he referred to comments the peer had made previously when he described president trump as a danger to the world. the us has confirmed it's killed the leader of the isis terrorist group in syria. us central command forces carried out an airstrike targeting abu yusuf on thursday. another isis terrorist was killed in the strike, according to officials in washington. a us military spokesman said the strike underscores america's commitment to preventing isis regaining strength in syria and threatening the west. two men have been charged with assaulting police officers following an incident at manchester airport in july. 20 year old mohammed himars is charged with two offences of causing ac

gordon brown, will take up the washington appointment as donald trump returns to the white house. sir keir starmer said he would bring unrivalled experience in dealing with one of the uk's most important allies. but posting on x, trump campaign manager chris lacivita criticised the decision to replace a professional diplomat with a man he described as an absolute moron and referred to comments. lord mandelson had made previously, describing president trump as a danger to the world. the us has confirmed it's killed the leader of the isis terrorist group in syria. us central command forces carried out an airstrike targeting abu yusuf on thursday. another isis terrorist was killed in the operation, according to officials in washington. a us military spokesman said the strike underscores america's commitment to preventing isis regaining strength in syria and threatening the west. two men have been charged with assaulting police officers following an incident at manchester airport in july. 20 year old mohammed himars is charged with two offences of causing actual bodily harm and one ch

lord mandelson, who served in the cabinets of sir tony blair and gordon brown, is poised to be the uk's next top diplomat in washington in a political appointment as donald trump returns to the white house. prime minister sir keir starmer believes the labour veteran has the trade expertise and networking abilities to bring the uk and america closer together. dame karen pierce, the current ambassador, will remain in the post until trump is inaugurated on the 20th of january. elsewhere, two men have been charged with assaults on police officers following an incident at manchester airport incident at manchester airport in july. 20 year old mohammed ahmad is charged with two offences of causing actual bodily harm. one charge of assaulting an emergency worker and one charge of common assault. and 25 year old mohammed ahmad is charged with causing actual bodily harm, the crown prosecution service said no police officers would be charged in relation to the incident. the men are due to appear at liverpool magistrates court on the 16th of january. the met office is urging people to prepare for d

even less popular than gordon brown or rishi sunak. >> that's right. >> that's right. >> can he turn>> can he turn it around? >> five months in your 1506 00:10

he is a labour grandee, a very experienced aide and cabinet minister to tony blair and gordon brown whenministers. but the fact that he has dropped out from his job that he has dropped out from hisjob running a big lobby of public affairs, advice outfit, to prepare to hopefully take this job shows that he is ambitious and hopefully according to keir starmer, ambitious for the uk and its role on the world stage. navigating that relationship with donald trump is going to be absolutely key, isn't it? is be absolutely key, isn't it? is certainly is. lord mandelson does have a lot of experience with wealthy, powerful people. one controversial person he was close to and certainly been pictured with was the late jeffrey eckstein, the paedophile billionaire. someone of course that donald trump knew as well. he had other friendships with other prominent wealthy people. there are people within downing street who believe that peter mandelson could really work well and thrive in these circles, in business, in politics. and in the trump world where family relationships, dynasties, can often be pretty

the labour veteran who served in the cabinets of both sir tony blair and gordon brown will succeed damee, whose term in washington will end early next year. 0ur political correspondent helen catt reports. peter mandelson has been a familiar face in the labour party for decades. he was one of the driving forces behind the creation of new labour in the i990s, a trusted adviser to tony blair with a reputation as a master of spin. he'd been rumoured as a potential candidate for a while, but had been cagey when asked about being the ambassador. would you be interested if you were asked? - i would be very interested, indeed, in giving advice about trade to whoever is appointed. elected as the mp for hartlepool in 1992, peter mandelson went on to serve in tony blair's cabinet, but was forced to resign twice. in the noughties, he went to brussels as the european trade commissioner before returning as business secretary under gordon brown. it's his experience of trade that is one of the reasons behind his appointment as ambassador. donald trump has talked of imposing big tariffs on imports into

those words were uttered by then prime minister gordon brown in the 2010 election leaders�* debate, andny ways, they signal the transformation of the leader of a relatively small third—party to the man who became deputy prime minister to david cameron during the coalition years. sir nick soon found that in government, people often did not agree with him, which may be one reason his party got so punished in the election that followed. he eventually lost his seat as a member of parliament, but since then, he has gone on to be at the side of another very powerful individual. he is president of global affairs for matter, a company founded by mark zuckerberg, who of course founded facebook, and now involves notjust founded facebook, and now involves not just that incredibly powerful social media platform, but also instagram and whatsapp as well. —— meta. nick clegg, welcome to political thinking. -- meta. nick clegg, welcome to political thinking.— political thinking. great to have an introduction - political thinking. great to | have an introduction where political thinking. great to - have

former cabinet minister under prime minister tony blair and de facto deputy prime minister under gordon brown. he also served as the european trade commissioner for four years between 2004 & 2008. lord mandelson will replace dame karen pierce, whose term in washington dc is due to end early next year. lord mandelson was seen as a key adviser to prime minister sir keir starmer in the run up to this year's general election. joining me now is allie renison, a former uk government special adviser on trade and now associate director at sec newgate. what personal qualities will lord mandelson bring to the so—called special relationship? i think ultimately one of the biggest differences between lord mandelson and previous ambassadors to the united states is ultimately he is a political beast. he understands politics. he is not a diplomat by training, he understands the political nuances needed to engage with the whole range of stakeholders in washington and one of the most important things he brings in terms of his ability to talk to you both washington and reassure brussels in terms of his past eur