Peter Mandelson says Donald Trump should expect a “warm reception” when he visits Britain for his second state visit later this year.
The UK’s ambassador in Washington said the US president “really does love Britain” and “hugely admires it” in an interview with the Sunday Times.
“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,” the 71-year-old veteran politician told the newspaper.
Referring to Mr Trump as a “phenomenon” and a “unique politician”, Lord Mandelson said the pair have met several times, with the Labour grandee forming a strong relationship with the president’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles.
Earlier this year, the US president accepted the invitation from King Charles for an unprecedented second state visit to the UK earlier this year, becoming the first US president to receive the honour.
The visit is reportedly likely to take place during the political party conference season, in September, and so Mr Trump will not get the opportunity to make an address to MPs and peers in Parliament.
Mr Trump is also expected not to visit Buckingham Palace or enjoy a ceremonial carriage ride down the Mall in London.
But still media reports have suggested the Labour government is wary of protests.
Lord Mandelson told the Sunday Times: “He should expect a warm reception because he really does love Britain. He hugely admires it.”
He added: “He 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.
“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. 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.”
The Independent revealed earlier this year that Mr Trump had considered rejecting Lord Mandelson as ambassador before his appointment six months ago.
Lord Mandelson’s biggest achievement so far in his new post was the UK-US trade deal, signed in May, that saw tariffs on car imports of 100,000 a year reduced from 27.5 per cent to 10 per cent.
A baseline tariff of 10 per cent remains in place for most other imports.
Lord Mandelson suggested in the interview with the Sunday Times that the deal would have not been possible if the UK had remained part of the European Union.
The one-time Europhile added that although the UK had lost a lot by leaving the EU, it gained “positives” such as the chance “to do this deal”.
