Former Labour minister, Lord Peter Mandelson, has sparked controversy by suggesting the use of Reform UK’s leader to strengthen ties between the nations.
Tony Blair’s former lead advisor is considered to be the top choice for the role of UK ambassador to the US.
However, Lord Mandelson has directly contradicted official government policy to not engage Nigel Farage in international relations by saying the UK should use the Clacton MP as a “bridgehead”.
The suggestion by the former business secretary, which could spark a wider civil war within the Labour party if there’s a huge divide in opinion on the matter, also explains the connection to Elon Musk, saying the UK should “swallow [its] pride” to engage with the entrepreneur.
Speaking to Times Radio podcast, Mandelson says: “If I were the government here, I’d be asking the embassy in Washington DC to find out who [Musk’s] other British friends are . . . [and use them as a] bridge.”
President-elect Trump has appointed Musk to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency. Mandelson continued to explain how it would be “unwise . . . for Britain to ignore him”, labelling the department as a “technological, industrial, commercial phenomenon”.
The Tesla founder has been vocally critical of Sir Keir Starmer and his Government, supporting the growing petition for a general election which has surpassed two million signatures.
On his platform X, he posted: “The people of Britain have had enough of a tyrannical police state” having also accused him of going “full Stalin” in regards to the inheritance tax raid on farmers.
Mandelson expressed the importance of using Farage as a bridge to the US and the people within Trump’s newly elected office.
“You can’t ignore him, he’s an elected member of parliament. He’s a public figure. He’s a bridgehead, both to President Trump and to Elon Musk and others . . . National interest is served in all sorts of weird and wonderful ways,” he says.
Speaking to the Financial Times in response to the former business secretary’s comments, Farage said he “might disagree with Mandelson on his politics, but he’s a very intelligent man”.
The Reform UK leader added that Mandelson is “trying very hard” when asked if he would endorse him for the new ambassador role, but queried his willingness to break his “commitment to the European Union”.
