Appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to US divides Labour MPs
Peter Mandelson has been formally unveiled as the UK’s ambassador to Washington, with a series of ministers hailing him as a political heavyweight who will be a reliable conduit into a potentially chaotic second Donald Trump administration,Some Labour MPs were, however, less enthusiastic, questioning why Keir Starmer would reward and trust a figure who had previously weighed in with outspoken criticism of the party’s policies and personalities,The decision, which emerged on Friday evening, was formalised in a Downing Street statement in which Starmer hailed Lord Mandelson, who was a cabinet minister under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown before becoming the EU trade commissioner, for bringing “unrivalled experience” to the role,The foreign secretary, David Lammy, said Mandelson had “a wealth of experience in trade, economic and foreign policy from his years in government and the private sector”,The peer said he was deeply honoured, promising to “advance our historic alliance with the United States”.
A political appointment had been anticipated in place of the departing ambassador, Karen Pierce, given the likely intricacies of Trump’s presidency.The president-elect has promised wide-ranging tariffs on the first day of his new administration, which starts on 20 January, with experts predicting damaging consequences for Britain’s goods trade with the US.In a sign of the challenges ahead, a senior adviser to Trump’s election campaign, Chris LaCivita, hit back at the Labour peer after it emerged he had called the president-elect “little short of a white nationalist and racist”.He described Mandelson as an “absolute moron” on Friday afternoon.One Labour MP described Mandelson as a political networker whose tough approach to deal-making could pay dividends in Washington.
They said: “Mandelson is very good at making relationships, [he] has unmatched negotiation skills as shown in his EU trade commissioner role and has a trade union background which is overlooked.Trump is transactional, and Mandelson will be able to cope with this.”Another acknowledged Starmer had to be realistic, but described their amazement, insisting: “In a room with Trump, Mandelson will look like an angel.But this is politics, hard politics.”Mandelson nonetheless arrives with some baggage, including his support for closer ties with China, with Global Counsel, the advisory firm he cofounded, having worked with Chinese companies.
Some new Labour MPs, who have been subject to strict discipline from the leader’s office since taking their seats, also questioned whether Starmer’s fondness for control would be compatible with Mandelson’s tendency to speak freely and go off-piste with policy.Sign up to Headlines UKGet the day’s headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morningafter newsletter promotionOne said: “Lots of MPs are already wondering whether it’s worth reading off the PMQs question scripts if we get embarrassed for sticking by senior party figures when they suddenly veer off what is supposedly Labour policy.“With him in this gig, a lot of us will say: ‘Well, if he’s allowed to freelance, why can’t I?’ The pressure is already high.”Another described it as a “smart political move”, but noted that Downing Street would need to ensure it could rein in Mandelson’s ability to “dictate to the Labour leadership”.They added: “If Starmer wants to maintain control over the PLP [parliamentary Labour party], he’ll need to be able to demonstrate that he can do this with the ‘heavyweight’ and architect of politics he’s built himself on, otherwise chaos will descend on our benches.
”Figures on the left were more obviously displeased.The former shadow chancellor John McDonnell said on X: “For many reasons associated with Peter Mandelson’s history in and out of political office, many will feel Keir [Starmer] has lost all sense of political judgment on this decision.”
Sale Sharks defy the deluge to extend Exeter’s winless Premiership run
This may not be a performance or a victory which will take up too much time on Sale Sharks’ end-of-season highlights reel but in the grand scheme of their season, it is a night which could rank as one of the more important for Alex Sanderson and his men.It is no secret that the Sharks’ home form has been the bedrock to their success under Sanderson in recent years and that remarkable run in the north continued again here. This was their 25th win in 27 Premiership home games and it breathes fresh life into their pursuit of the playoffs.Sale stuttered in the early weeks of the season but as the campaign has settled into a groove, so too have the Sharks. There is work to be done on the road, preferably in time for their trip to Bristol after Christmas given how the Bears dismantled Leicester on Saturday
American BMX star Hannah Roberts wins fifth straight freestyle world title
American Hannah Roberts roared back from her Paris Olympic heartbreak on Saturday by claiming her fifth consecutive BMX freestyle world title at the UCI Urban Cycling World Championships in Abu Dhabi.Roberts, 22, set the bar with a 95.70-point first run, a score no competitor could beat. Her second run scored 94.58, a mark that would have been high enough to win the event
Bristol raise the bar in Premiership with record victory at Leicester
First, a simple stat: Bristol notched a 10th consecutive away win in the Premiership. A record for the league. Impressive. Second, another: they scored the most points any team have ever registered against Leicester at Welford Road, as much as any have ever scored against the Tigers anywhere in the Premiership. Impressive again, and this time beginning to hint at what went on here
Merry Crambo again for Fergal O’Brien after Long Walk repeat at Ascot
Ascot has largely managed to buck the trend of falling attendances at Britain’s biggest tracks and its popularity clearly extends to some of its four-legged regulars too. Crambo, last year’s winner of the Grade One Long Walk Hurdle, failed to run to anything like the same level in two subsequent starts at Cheltenham and Aintree in the spring, but on his return here on Saturday Fergal O’Brien’s gelding rediscovered his winning form as he grimly held off the late challenge of Hiddenvalley Lake.Crambo and Johnny Burke had a head to spare at the line – a slight improvement on last year’s short-head success – and O’Brien, whose horses have been struggling to find their best form in recent weeks, was briefly in tears in the winner’s enclosure as Crambo’s success was confirmed.“The horses haven’t been quite right but the winning of this race was not running at Newbury,” O’Brien said of last month’s Long Distance Hurdle. “I knew we could get him better and I knew he likes the track here
New Zealand lose to Australia: second women’s one-day international – as it happened
Thank you for joining me this afternoon, and Martin earlier in the day. We’ll see you back here bright and early on Monday for more, but in the meantime here is the report from Australia’s victory.It was a comprehensive victory set up by Annabel Sutherland’s stunning 105 from just 81 balls – her second ODI ton in succession. Four other Australians reached 25 or more but none pressed on to a major contribution.Australia were tidy with the ball without being spectacular
Michael van Gerwen promises ‘more to come’ after fast start at PDC worlds
Michael van Gerwen began his bid for a fourth PDC world title with a comfortable 3-0 victory against England’s James Hurrell.Van Gerwen, champion in 2014, 2017 and 2019, has struggled for form of late and not won a major televised tournament this year. But the Dutchman eased past Hurrell, who beat Jim Long on his world championship debut on Tuesday, in winning each set 3-1.“I think I played OK, of course like everyone knows it’s been a tough year for me,” Van Gerwen, the No 3 seed, told Sky Sports after his second-round victory. “To stand up here and do the thing you want to do always takes a lot of energy
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