Donald Trump's administration has seemingly approved former minister Peter Mandelson to become the UK's ambassador to Washington, sources say.
It comes after Trump's senior campaign advisor Chris LaCivita branded the former Minister a "moron" on social media.
It was reported that US senators passed on a file to the FBI to investigate the Labour peer’s links to China, cited as the main reason that President Trump was said to be considering declining his nomination.
However, two inside sources told Politico that the Trump regime granted Mandelson his agrément, a diplomatic term for the formal agreement to accept his appointment.
However, Downing Street sources have told GB News the "process is ongoing", while Whitehall sources familiar with the appointment process added: "It is a process not an event so premature."
Starmer’s choice of Mandelson as ambassador has been disputed in Trump’s inner circle and the wider Republican party, in part because of his past business links to China.
One senior US source told The Independent that the report Mandelson has been accepted as "hot air" adding: "Why would the senators have passed the dossier to the FBI Monday if he got his agreement last week?"
Downing Street has defended Mandelson over the reports about the dossier, with the Prime Minister’s spokesman saying he has declared all his interests as part of the clearance process.
A Downing Street spokesman said: "On that specific report, the Foreign Office don’t recognise the reports of a dossier. More broadly, there’s obviously an established regime in place for the management of interests held by ambassadors or high commissioners."
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The spokesman continued: "This ensures that steps are taken to avoid or mitigate any actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest, and all candidates are subject to background checks and security clearance.
“Whilst we do not usually comment on individuals, Lord Mandelson has made all relevant declarations as part of this process. And this ensures that steps are taken to avoid or mitigate any potential or perceived conflicts of interest.”
It comes after Foreign Secretary David Lammy spoke with his equivalent in Trump's administration, Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Rubio, who ran against Trump in the 2016 Republican Primary, spoke to Lammy on a range of issues including the Indo-Pacific, Ukraine and the Middle East.
The Foreign Office said in a statement the two men had discussed their shared links to the Caribbean. The Foreign Secretary has family ties to Guyana and Mr Rubio’s family links to Cuba.
“They both welcomed the opportunity for the UK and the US to work together in alignment to address shared challenges, including the situation in the Middle East, Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine, the challenges posed by China and the need for Indo-Pacific security,” the statement said.
US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said the two men had discussed “a range of pressing global issues”.
“Both leaders expressed eagerness to begin working together immediately to further our many shared foreign policy objectives,” she said.
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It comes after Trump's senior campaign advisor Chris LaCivita branded the former Minister a "moron" on social media.
It was reported that US senators passed on a file to the FBI to investigate the Labour peer’s links to China, cited as the main reason that President Trump was said to be considering declining his nomination.
However, two inside sources told Politico that the Trump regime granted Mandelson his agrément, a diplomatic term for the formal agreement to accept his appointment.
However, Downing Street sources have told GB News the "process is ongoing", while Whitehall sources familiar with the appointment process added: "It is a process not an event so premature."
Starmer’s choice of Mandelson as ambassador has been disputed in Trump’s inner circle and the wider Republican party, in part because of his past business links to China.
One senior US source told The Independent that the report Mandelson has been accepted as "hot air" adding: "Why would the senators have passed the dossier to the FBI Monday if he got his agreement last week?"
Downing Street has defended Mandelson over the reports about the dossier, with the Prime Minister’s spokesman saying he has declared all his interests as part of the clearance process.
A Downing Street spokesman said: "On that specific report, the Foreign Office don’t recognise the reports of a dossier. More broadly, there’s obviously an established regime in place for the management of interests held by ambassadors or high commissioners."
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The spokesman continued: "This ensures that steps are taken to avoid or mitigate any actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest, and all candidates are subject to background checks and security clearance.
“Whilst we do not usually comment on individuals, Lord Mandelson has made all relevant declarations as part of this process. And this ensures that steps are taken to avoid or mitigate any potential or perceived conflicts of interest.”
It comes after Foreign Secretary David Lammy spoke with his equivalent in Trump's administration, Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Rubio, who ran against Trump in the 2016 Republican Primary, spoke to Lammy on a range of issues including the Indo-Pacific, Ukraine and the Middle East.
The Foreign Office said in a statement the two men had discussed their shared links to the Caribbean. The Foreign Secretary has family ties to Guyana and Mr Rubio’s family links to Cuba.
“They both welcomed the opportunity for the UK and the US to work together in alignment to address shared challenges, including the situation in the Middle East, Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine, the challenges posed by China and the need for Indo-Pacific security,” the statement said.
US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said the two men had discussed “a range of pressing global issues”.
“Both leaders expressed eagerness to begin working together immediately to further our many shared foreign policy objectives,” she said.
Find Out More...