Donald Trump 'approves' Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to US

London- Alsharq Tribune- Mohamed Otaify

Donald Trump has approved Peter Mandelson as the UK's ambassador to the US, the Labour peer has reportedly told friends. The White House has given its formal agreement to receive a new ambassador within the last week, according to Politico. The so-called 'agrément' is approved if a diplomat nominated by a state is acceptable to the receiving stat

The next stage is for Lord Mandelson to travel to Washington, to hand in a "letter of credence" to be rubber-stamped by the White House. It would be extremely unusual for them to withdraw their approval at this stage. It comes after the Mirror revealed in November that people in Trump's orbit were privately advising him to reject Lord Mandelson as the UK ambassador

Initially they had reservations about his former position with the EU - and in recent days more concerns were raised about his position on China.

It was reported earlier that a group of Republican senators handed a dossier detailing his "close Chinese connections" to the FBI. Lord Mandelson has denied ever conducting business in China. The Prime Minister's spokesman said Lord Mandelson has declared all his interests as part of the clearance process.

He said: "On that specific report, the Foreign Office don't recognise the reports of a dossier. "More broadly, there's obviously an established regime in place for the management of interests held by ambassadors or high commissioners.

"This ensures that steps are taken to avoid or mitigate any actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest, and all candidates are subject to background checks and security clearance.

"Whilst we do not usually comment on individuals, Lord Mandelson has made all relevant declarations as part of this process. "And this ensures that steps are taken to avoid or mitigate any potential or perceived conflicts of interest."

A dossier prepared by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China has been seen by senators and passed on to the FBI, news site The Nightly reported. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer this week had his first call with Mr Trump since he was inaugurated. It is understood that Lord Mandelson's appointment was not discussed.