Lord Mandelson Bridges Political Worlds in Washington

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Title: Lord Mandelson Bridges Political Worlds in Washington

 

Lord Peter Mandelson, the British ambassador to the United States, offered a striking reflection on the political parallels between President Donald Trump and Labour leader Keir Starmer during a lively event in Washington D.C. on Thursday night. Surrounded by members of the MAGA elite, Mandelson was honoured with a plaque at Butterworth’s, a Capitol Hill restaurant that has become a social hub for young Trump supporters.

 

Amid the clinking of glasses filled with Hambledon English sparkling wine, Mandelson responded to a call for a speech, half-jokingly admitting, “I don’t know what to say. I do feel that I have finally made it from tribal politician to real diplomat now that I have unveiled the first plaque in my new diplomatic career.”

 

 

The plaque, which now rests above a French-style sofa in the restaurant, commemorates Mandelson’s first informal meeting there with Raheem Kassam, Butterworth’s co-owner and former adviser to Nigel Farage. “When I came here, I wandered off the streets hungry not knowing what it was. I thought I might get a nice lobster thermidor if I was lucky. I sprawled out on this sofa and we had a wonderful conversation for a long time,” Mandelson recalled.

 

 

Since his appointment earlier this year, Mandelson has made notable efforts to engage with figures in and around the Trump movement. He has actively courted younger MAGA adherents, inviting them to embassy functions, including one held specifically for voices from "new media."

 

Speaking warmly about Kassam, a close associate of former Trump strategist Steve Bannon, Mandelson observed, “Although we don’t have identical politics, we are familiar with masters of the same drivers that brought our respective figures to power — President Trump in your case and Keir Starmer in mine.” He elaborated that both Trump and Starmer drew their political strength from “angry people who felt they were being unheard by mainstream politics,” adding that this included discontent over the cost of living, unchecked immigration, and “uncontrolled woke culture spreading across institutions.”

 

In a broader reflection on his diplomatic mission, Mandelson said, “I feel that over centuries now, British diplomats here in United States have been creating coalitions that support the special relationship.” Drawing on his experience in the Labour Party, he added, “I have my own classic New Labour experience of fishing for votes across the political spectrum and forging unlikely coalitions, so good luck to you.”

 

He also praised the unique cultural role Butterworth’s plays in Washington, saying, “I just think what you have created here at Butterworth’s is fairly remarkable. You’ve brought the best of British gastro pub food and planted it down here on Capitol Hill. I feel you’ve brought the special relationship up to a new higher level.”

 

Kassam, in return, thanked Mandelson for attending, stating it was important to demonstrate that “Brits back home… can actually work together in His Majesty’s interest.”

 

When asked about the developing fallout between Elon Musk and Donald Trump earlier that day, Mandelson admitted he hadn’t followed it, citing his absence from social media. Nevertheless, he did add diplomatically that “the office of president ought to be respected.”

 

Reflecting with humour on his earlier political life, Mandelson recalled another plaque unveiling from his days as MP for Hartlepool: “With great flourish and great aplomb I ripped back the curtain and there was no plaque. I looked at it slightly bemused and they said, ‘It is on its way it just hasn’t been done yet’ as if that was that.”

 

This latest unveiling, however, went off without a hitch, adding another layer of nuance to Mandelson’s evolving identity as both politician and diplomat — one seemingly at ease navigating unlikely political spaces in the name of diplomacy.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from The Times  2025-06-07

 

 

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He also shares with Trump a close mutual friend, now deceased.

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Champagne socialist.