Lord Mandelson has predicted that Nigel Farage is ‘peaking too soon’ to become PM despite acknowledging that Labour majority was down to a ‘sense of anger’.
The former Cabinet minister – now UK ambassador to the US – said Mr Farage is a ‘highly effective populist’ as polls show Reform with a significant lead.
But he insisted that by the time of the election people will be choosing a government rather than ‘having a fling’.
The comments came in an interview with the Sunday Times – where Lord Mandelson also lavished praise on Donald Trump.
The peer said Mr Trump was a ‘phenomenon’ who ‘dominated’ Washington and would be ‘one of the most consequential presidents in American history’.
Lord Mandelson has predicted that Nigel Farage is ‘peaking too soon’ to become PM despite acknowledging that Labour majority was down to a ‘sense of anger’
The former Cabinet minister – now UK ambassador to the US – said Mr Farage (pictured on the Channel last week) is a ‘highly effective populist’ as polls show Reform with a significant lead
Lord Mandelson compared the political situations in the UK and US as he tried to explain why Sir Keir (pictured) has been struggling to make headway
He also argued that the Republican would get a ‘warm welcome’ from Brits on his state visit in September – and appeared to confirm for the first time that the trip will happen while Parliament is in recess.
That would reduce the potential for protests as Mr Trump will not be able to give an address to both Houses – an honour that was granted to Emmanuel Macron last week.
Lord Mandelson recounted a recent conversation he had with US vice president JD Vance.
‘I explained to the vice-president that, yes, highly effective populists and political actors like Farage can take advantage,’ the New Labour architect said.
‘At the end of the day, at the election people will be choosing their future government – not having a fling, expressing a protest or demonstrating their impatience.
‘And in that sense, I said, perhaps Nigel is peaking too soon.’
Lord Mandelson compared the political situations in the UK and US as he tried to explain why the Labour government has been struggling to make headway.
He said: ‘The mandates that both President Trump and Keir Starmer won at their elections last year came from the same sense of anger that many voters have.
‘That they’ve been overlooked: the system was not delivering for them, that they were being taken for granted.
‘But what’s different about Britain is that we seem to have been travelling through a long, dark tunnel for ten years, with no signs of light or hope.
‘It has seemed one thing after another. And I feel people are emerging from that tunnel, almost blinking into the daylight.’
Lord Mandelson said of the State Visit: ‘He should expect a warm reception because he really does love Britain. He hugely admires it.
‘He trusts Keir Starmer. It’s not a question of expressing our gratitude. My lodestar here is to demonstrate respect, not sycophancy. I don’t think the administration has any problem with that.’
Reminded that Labour left-wingers have started a petition against Mr Trump addressing both Houses of Parliament, the peer said: ‘Well there’s a surprise… But I had assumed that at the time of the visit parliament won’t be sitting.’
Lord Mandelson said Mr Trump is a ‘more nuanced figure than people appreciate’.
‘Look, he’s not only a unique politician – he’s also going to be one of the most consequential presidents in American history,’ the ambassador said.
‘He has this sense of history, this grasp of power which I think perhaps recent inhabitants of the White House haven’t quite seen. He is not a man for endless seminars and thinking.
The comments came in an interview with the Sunday Times – where Lord Mandelson also lavished praise on Donald Trump
‘He’s not a victim of analysis paralysis. He has a very quick, easy way of grasping the core points about an issue. And let’s be honest: more often than not, there’s a kernel of truth in everything he says.’
Lord Mandelson joked that the MAGA crowd in Washington ‘regard me as a slightly exotic target of their fascination’.
He said a turning point in his job was when Mr Trump described him as ‘handsome’ during Sir Keir’s visit to the White House.
‘I’ve never been in a town or a political system that is so dominated by one individual,’ he said.
‘Usually, you’re entering an ecosystem rather than the world of one personality. But he is a phenomenon. A unique politician.’
