Peter Benjamin Mandelson, Baron Mandelson, PC (born 21 October 1953), is a British politician, lobbyist and former diplomat. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hartlepool from 1992 to 2004, and served in the Cabinets of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown in various ministerial positions in Government, including Minister without portfolio, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Business Secretary and First Secretary of State. He served as the British Ambassador to the United States from February to September 2025.
A member of the Labour Party, Mandelson served as Labour’s director of communications from 1985 to 1990, becoming one of the first people to whom the term “spin doctor” was applied and being dubbed the “Prince of Darkness”[2][3] because of his “ruthless” and “media savvy” reputation.[4] Although sidelined during the brief period when John Smith led the Labour Party, Mandelson became close to two future party leaders and prime ministers – Gordon Brown and Tony Blair. Mandelson was one of several key people responsible for the rebranding of the Labour Party as New Labour before its victory in the 1997 general election, and re-elections in the 2001 and 2005 general elections. After becoming a close ally and trusted adviser to Blair, Mandelson was Labour’s election campaign director for the 1997 election, which Labour won decisively.
Mandelson served as Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and President of the Board of Trade in 1998 and again from 2008 to 2010, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 1999 to 2001 as well as First Secretary of State and Lord President of the Council from 2009 to 2010. He was the European Commissioner for Trade from 2004 to 2008 and Member of Parliament (MP) for Hartlepool from 1992 to 2004, before being elevated to the House of Lords as a Life Peer in 2008, which attracted some controversy.[5][6] After Labour lost the 2010 general election, Mandelson co-founded Global Counsel, a lobbying firm based in London, and remained active in Labour party politics in the years preceding their return to office at the 2024 general election. Prior to his dismissal, Mandelson was described as having a “significant influence” on Starmer’s office as a “core part” of his political network.[7][8] In December 2024, Starmer nominated Mandelson as the UK Ambassador to the United States, in which role he served from February to September 2025.[2] Previously opposed to Donald Trump, Mandelson revised his opinion publicly asserting his respect for Trump, according to the will of the people.[9][10]
Mandelson has faced several scandals during his political career, being twice dismissed from Cabinet following scandals, and dismissed a third time from a diplomatic post following another scandal. He bought a home in Notting Hill in 1996 partly with an interest-free loan of £373,000 from Geoffrey Robinson, a Cabinet colleague and millionaire whose business dealings were subject to an inquiry by Mandelson’s department.[11] Mandelson contended that he had deliberately not taken part in any decisions relating to Robinson. He had not declared the loan in the Register of Members’ Interests and resigned in December 1998.[11] Mandelson initially thought he could weather the press storm, but had to resign when it became clear that Blair thought nothing else would clear the air.[12] In January 2001, Mandelson resigned from the Government for a second time, following accusations of using his position to influence a passport application.[13][14] Mandelson has also faced multiple allegations of inappropriate links, most notably being criticised since 2019 for his relationship with sex offenders Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, and faced repeated calls to resign as Britain’s ambassador to the US following published communications regarding his ties to Epstein.[15][16][17] Despite Starmer initially expressing confidence in him, Mandelson was later dismissed by the Prime Minister, on 11 September 2025, following the publication of supportive emails Mandelson sent to Epstein after he was arrested in 2008.
Early life and education
Peter Mandelson was born at Hendon, Middlesex,[18] on 21 October 1953,[19][20] the younger son of the Hon. Mary Joyce Mandelson (née Morrison)[21] and George Norman Mandelson (1920–1988).[22] Of Polish Jewish extraction, his patrilineal great-great-great-grandfather was Colonel Naphtali Felthousen Mendelssohn; his great-grandfather, Levy Mandelson (1834–1891),[23] was son-in-law of Samuel Cohen MLA; and, his grandfather, Norman Levy Mandelson (1872–1956), founded the Harrow United Synagogue. His father George Norman Mandelson (known as Tony) was the advertising manager of The Jewish Chronicle[24] who served as an officer in the Royal Dragoons during the Second World War.[25] On his mother’s side, Mandelson is a grandson of Herbert Morrison,[26] London County Council leader and a Cabinet Minister in the Attlee government.[26] Mandelson was raised in Hampstead Garden Suburb; recalling his childhood, he said: “my whole upbringing was framed around the Suburb – my friendships and values”.[27]
Education
Mandelson attended the Garden Suburb School,[25] and from 1965 to 1972 Hendon County Grammar School.[20] In 1966, he appeared on stage with the local amateur theatre group, the Hampstead Garden Suburb Dramatic Society, as the eponymous lead in The Winslow Boy.[28] During his teenage years he joined the Young Communist League due to the UK’s support of the United States’ role in the Vietnam War. He was educated at the University of Oxford as an undergraduate of St Catherine’s College, Oxford, where he read philosophy, politics and economics (PPE); his tutors included Nicholas (now Lord) Stern.[20][29][30]
Early career
As Chairman of the British Youth Council, in 1978 Mandelson was delegated to attend the Soviet-organised World Festival of Youth and Students at Havana, Cuba.[31][32] He was elected to Lambeth Borough Council in 1979 but stood down in 1982, disillusioned with the state of Labour politics.[33] Mandelson then worked from 1982 to 1985 as a television producer at London Weekend Television on Weekend World, where he formed a friendship with his superior John (now Lord) Birt.[34][35]
Political career
Director of communications
In 1985, the Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock appointed Mandelson the party’s director of communications. As director, he was one of the first people in Britain to whom the term “spin doctor” was applied; he was thus called the “Prince of Darkness”.[2][3][35] Mandelson ran the campaign at the 1986 Fulham by-election where Labour defeated the Conservative Party.[36]
For the 1987 general election campaign, Mandelson commissioned film director Hugh Hudson, whose Chariots of Fire (1981) had won an Oscar as Best Picture, to make a party political broadcast promoting Neil Kinnock as a potential prime minister. Tagged “Kinnock – the Movie”, it led to the party leader’s approval rating being raised by 16%, to 19%, in polls, and was even repeated in another PPB slot. The election, held on 11 June 1987, returned Margaret Thatcher’s Conservatives for the third time, although Labour gained 20 seats,[39] and, this time, convincingly pushed the SDP-Liberal Alliance into third place. Opponents termed the Labour Party’s election campaign “a brilliantly successful election defeat”.[38] He ceased being a Labour Party official in 1990 when he was selected as Labour candidate for the constituency of Hartlepool, which was then considered a safe seat
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