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that lord mandelson, peter mandelson, the new ambassador in dc, has been counselling keir starmer to get and there are two reasons why that is very important. these sorts of people argue for the uk and for keir starmer. one, you don't even get through the door with donald trump, spending, even though he wants far more than 2.5%, let's be honest. we've been hearing about endlessly in recent months, nato secretary general and labour defence secretary. and how can you put together a review and really understand where the uk should be spending money in defence in this sort of new, far more, drone based, ai based defence space? procurement and millions billions has been wasted in previous projects. and also, i think in this, the labour government is still hung up on the idea of when they're going to meet before donald trump stood up and sort of upended the assumption of the last many decades, that america would always be around as a sort of, you know, europe's bodyguard ready to step in and support. let's have a listen to what bridget phillipson said on the tv. 2.5% is ambitious, and the

lord peter mandelson says he will focus on making sure the u.k.me collateral damage in a u.s. trade war. mandelson, a longtime labour party politician was controversial because he has been previously critical of resto. but he -- president trump. but he has said his views have changed. >> what i said years ago about president trump, i judged him wrong and i don't mind saying so . but what we can learn from president trump is, sometimes how you need to go quite fast and furiously in order to bring about change, i think in britain our own government has started very well at turning the dial not just a little bit here and there, but in some respects quite radically, to bring about change, changing lives and to create a future for people based absolutely on a strong and growing economy. that has to be our priority. we have to put everything into that. we're going to depend, our economy, on private investment, foreign investment, the large amount of which will come from the u.s. sumi: now to ecuador where the presidential election will go to a runoff in

the new british ambassador to washington lord peter mandelson has his work cut out. the same sort of over the tops of the pennines. some snow over some of the hills and mountains in scotland as well. just above freezing. if the cloud breaks and the skies clear, could see temperatures falling just below. bits and pieces of rain, the odd flake of snow up over high ground. a frontal system trying to bring rain into the far southwest later. conversely, some drier air trying to introduce a bit more of northern england. another fairly cold feeling day. so yes, a bit more clouds and spots of rain for weather, but a slightly better chance that we will see some a notch around six or seven or eight degrees. towards the weekend. on the bbc weather app. hello, i'm christian fraser. intelligence. sport and for a full round—up, here's the bbc hello, gavin. round of the fa cup with manchester city against the conquerors facing fourth tier doncaster rovers. 0—1 palace. daniel munoz with the tap in. packing in the last round of the competition, whereas doncaster stunned hull on penalties. inter 1—0 u

and in comes lord peter mandelson. mission to the us — think that is a formality.

sure we are their weight in eareri;i their weight in eaten;r front. to the united states, lord peter mandelsonsarah smith, that his views have changed. well, we already have great relationship the us and uk. m relationshi - between relationshi- between our strong relationship between our governments and a very warm personal w between w w between tiwie president relationship between the president our prime minister and myjob is and our prime minister and myjob is to keep it that way in to build to iceeo it that way in to build aa 5 5 .-. ..-. 5 .. s ithink to iceeo it that way in to build aa 5 5 .-. ..-. 555 s ithink we to iceeo it that way in to build aa 5 5 555 5555 555 5 ithink we can to iceeo it that way in to build aa 5 5 555 5555 5 55 5 i think we can and to iceeo it that way in to build aa 5 5555 5555 5 55 5 i think we can and the it and i think we can and at the heart of the relationship, it is extraordinary relationship that we in defence, security and it was across the world i want do something else, each of us to grow and i wants to grow our economies and i think we need to do is to

. >> my favourite was the peter mandelson fish and chips story, the peter mandelson fish and chips storyn hartlepool. and this was this was years ago and he went up to hartlepool and it was when he was an mp and went up there and said so they've got the fish and chips and they've got the green stuff. and he said, oh, and i'll have a pot of that guacamole as well to go. and it was, it was mushy peas. btec. yes. so yes, with guacamole. >> what would you have as your order? >> i'd have cotton chips. you'd have cotton cotton chips twice, please. >> no, i'm a haddock man. >> no, i'm a haddock man. >> with curry sauce. >> with curry sauce. >> haddock. i could have curry sauce. >> no, i couldn't. >> no, i couldn't. >> do with it. >> do with it. >> yeah. no, i don't do the curry sauce. >> i just salt, vinegar and a sausage. actually, guys, i'm just going to put it out. >> there, okay? >> there, okay? >> not a battered one. >> not a battered one. >> and will you say when they say do you want fish and chips. would you want salt and vinegar with that. will you have them do it there and then. or do

and he's got to say, when peter mandelson, lord mandelson, the new ambassador, according to the new ambassadorcording to the sunday times today, has been urging starmer behind the scenes to announce a date very quickly. i think he's got to tell. he's got to announce before he sees the president when we will hit that target. >> at 2.5. >> at 2.5. >> badenoch has said. you need to make the commitment now before thursday. and then there was an interesting line about mandelson trying to do a bit of a quid pro quo, and he's going around apparently saying mega, make our economies great again. that's going to be the big sell to trump ever the wheeler and dealer. yeah, this is interesting as well. what bothers me slightly is how personal these barbs against zelenskyy are becoming. we've got page seven of the sunday express. zelenskyy has been advised to relocate to france by advised to relocate to france by a white house source. i don't think this is helpful. >> no it's not. why quite why they've taken i mean, on the one hand, trump said, didn't he overnight, he was brave in standing up to russia. but