Peter Mandelson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Lord Mandelson
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Mandelson in 2025
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| British Ambassador to the United States | |
| Assumed office 10 February 2025 |
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| Monarch | Charles III |
| President | Donald Trump |
| Prime Minister | Sir Keir Starmer |
| Preceded by | Dame Karen Pierce |
| First Secretary of State | |
| In office 5 June 2009 – 11 May 2010 |
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| Prime Minister | Gordon Brown |
| Preceded by | John Prescott |
| Succeeded by | William Hague |
| Lord President of the Council | |
| In office 5 June 2009 – 11 May 2010 |
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| Prime Minister | Gordon Brown |
| Preceded by | Baroness Royall of Blaisdon |
| Succeeded by | Sir Nick Clegg |
| Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills President of the Board of Trade |
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| In office 3 October 2008 – 11 May 2010 |
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| Prime Minister | Gordon Brown |
| Preceded by | John Hutton |
| Succeeded by | Vince Cable |
| In office 27 July 1998 – 23 December 1998 |
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| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | Margaret Beckett |
| Succeeded by | Stephen Byers |
| European Commissioner for Trade | |
| In office 22 November 2004 – 3 October 2008 |
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| President | José Manuel Barroso |
| Preceded by | Pascal Lamy |
| Succeeded by | Catherine Ashton |
| Secretary of State for Northern Ireland | |
| In office 11 October 1999 – 24 January 2001 |
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| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | Mo Mowlam |
| Succeeded by | John Reid |
| Minister without Portfolio | |
| In office 2 May 1997 – 27 July 1998 |
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| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | Brian Mawhinney |
| Succeeded by | Charles Clarke |
| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal |
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| Assumed office 13 October 2008 Life Peer |
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| Member of Parliament for Hartlepool |
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| In office 9 April 1992 – 8 September 2004 |
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| Preceded by | Ted Leadbitter |
| Succeeded by | Iain Wright |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Peter Benjamin Mandelson
21 October 1953 Hendon, Middlesex, England |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse |
dom Reinaldo Avila da Silva
(m. 2023) |
| Relatives | Lord Morrison of Lambeth (grandfather) |
| Education | Hendon County Grammar School |
| Alma mater | St Catherine's College, Oxford |
| Signature |  |
| Nickname | Prince of Darkness |
Peter Benjamin Mandelson, Baron Mandelson (born 21 October 1953) is a British politician and diplomat. He has served as the British Ambassador to the United States since February 2025.
A member of the Labour Party, Mandelson was the party's director of communications from 1985 to 1990. He was known for his media skills and was sometimes called the "Prince of Darkness" because of his strong and effective approach to public relations.
Mandelson held several important government roles. He was Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and President of the Board of Trade twice (in 1998 and from 2008 to 2010). He also served as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1999–2001) and First Secretary of State (2009–2010). From 2004 to 2008, he was the European Commissioner for Trade. Before joining the House of Lords in 2008, he was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Hartlepool from 1992 to 2004. In 2010, he helped start Global Counsel, a company that advises businesses.
Mandelson is seen as having a notable influence on the current Labour Party Leader and Prime Minister, Keir Starmer. In December 2024, Starmer chose Mandelson to be the UK's Ambassador to the United States.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Peter Mandelson was born in Hendon, Middlesex, England, on 21 October 1953. His mother was Mary Joyce Mandelson and his father was George Norman Mandelson. His family has Jewish roots from Poland. His grandfather, Herbert Morrison, was a well-known politician who served as a Cabinet Minister.
Schooling and University
Mandelson attended Garden Suburb School and then Hendon County Grammar School from 1965 to 1972. As a teenager, he joined the Young Communist League. He studied at the University of Oxford, where he focused on philosophy, politics and economics (PPE) at St Catherine's College, Oxford.
Early Career
In 1978, Mandelson was the Chairman of the British Youth Council. He was elected to the Lambeth Borough Council in 1979 but left in 1982. From 1982 to 1985, he worked as a television producer for Weekend World at London Weekend Television.
Political Career
Labour's Communications Director
In 1985, Neil Kinnock, the leader of the Labour Party, appointed Mandelson as the party's director of communications. In this role, he became known as one of the first "spin doctors" in Britain. He was also called "the Prince of Darkness" due to his effective and sometimes tough approach to media.
Mandelson managed the Labour Party's campaign in the 1986 Fulham by-election, where they won against the Conservative Party. For the 1987 general election, he hired film director Hugh Hudson to create a special political broadcast for Neil Kinnock. This film helped improve Kinnock's public image. Although Labour did not win the election, they gained 20 seats. Mandelson stopped being a Labour Party official in 1990 when he was chosen to run for MP in Hartlepool.
As a Member of Parliament
Mandelson was first elected to the House of Commons in the 1992 general election. He often spoke about his strong support for the European Union. After John Smith passed away in 1994, Mandelson supported Tony Blair for the Labour leadership. He played a key role in Blair's successful campaign. This decision caused some tension between Mandelson and Gordon Brown, even though they had been allies.
Mandelson was the campaign director for the 1997 general election, which Labour won by a large margin.
Minister without Portfolio
After the 1997 election, Mandelson became a Minister without Portfolio in the Cabinet Office. His job was to help different government departments work together. He also took on responsibility for the Millennium Dome project.
Secretary of State for Trade and Industry
In July 1998, Mandelson joined the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. He worked on new laws for electronic commerce and a plan to boost the country's competitiveness. He also appointed an "Internet Tsar" to help the UK in the "new industrial revolution."
Mandelson resigned from this role in December 1998. Later, it was found that he had encouraged Prime Minister Blair to move forward with a system that later became known as the Horizon IT scandal.
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Mandelson returned to the Cabinet in October 1999 as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. He helped set up the devolved legislative assembly and the power-sharing executive. He also oversaw changes to the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
Mandelson resigned from the government again in January 2001. An independent investigation later cleared him of any wrongdoing. In the 2001 general election, Mandelson was re-elected as MP for Hartlepool with a large majority. He stated, "I am a fighter and not a quitter."
Stepping Down as MP
After the 2001 election, Mandelson became interested in becoming the United Kingdom's European Commissioner. This role would require him to resign from Parliament. He was appointed in the summer of 2004 and officially resigned his seat on 8 September 2004. Labour kept the Hartlepool seat in the by-election that followed.
European Commissioner
On 22 November 2004, Mandelson became Britain's European Commissioner, handling trade matters. He left this position in October 2008 to return to UK politics. As a former EU Commissioner, he was entitled to a pension. There were discussions about whether this pension could affect his new role, but it was confirmed that former commissioners can express opinions freely without losing their pension.
Peerage and Return to Cabinet
On 3 October 2008, Gordon Brown brought Mandelson back into the government as Business Secretary. Mandelson was also made a life peer, becoming Baron Mandelson and joining the House of Lords. He supported the planned expansion of Heathrow Airport. In March 2009, a protester threw green custard at him because of his support for the airport expansion.
In June 2009, Mandelson was given new roles, becoming Lord President of the Council and First Secretary of State. His department was also expanded, giving him the new title of Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills. He was a member of many important government committees.
In August 2009, Mandelson was reported to have pushed for internet disconnection measures to be included in the Digital Economy Act 2010. This decision came after discussions with people from the music and film industries. Later, a request for information showed that Mandelson had decided on these measures before public consultation was finished.
In September 2009, Mandelson received a warm welcome at the Labour Party conference, showing that his popularity among party members had grown.
After Leaving Cabinet
After the 2010 general election, which Labour lost, Mandelson's book, The Third Man: Life at the Heart of New Labour, was published in July 2010.
He became president of the international think tank Policy Network. In November 2010, Mandelson co-founded Global Counsel, a company that advises businesses and leaders worldwide. He has been criticized for not always revealing his clients. He has advised companies like Shein, Shell, Palantir, Alibaba, and TikTok.
Mandelson has also been a guest at the Bilderberg Group conferences multiple times. He became a senior adviser to the investment banking firm Lazard in 2011 and joined the Board of Trustees of Deutsche Bank's Alfred Herrhausen Society in 2013.
In 2012, Mandelson confirmed he was advising Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), a company that faced accusations of illegal logging. In 2013, he was appointed High Steward of Hull, a ceremonial position his grandfather also held.
After Jeremy Corbyn became Labour leader in 2015, Mandelson believed Labour was unlikely to win elections. He later admitted he was wrong about Corbyn's campaign in the 2017 UK general election, which saw Labour gain seats. However, after the 2019 general election, where Labour suffered a significant defeat, Mandelson said the result was "not undeserved" and blamed Corbyn's leadership.
During the 2016 EU referendum, Mandelson was on the board of the "Remain" campaign, which was unsuccessful. After the referendum, he strongly supported a second referendum. In 2020, he expressed interest in becoming the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) but was not nominated by the UK government.
In 2021, it was reported that Mandelson was advising Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer on how to broaden the party's appeal. He is also a regular on How To Win An Election, a podcast from The Times. In 2024, Mandelson ran for Chancellor of the University of Oxford, finishing fourth.
Ambassadorship
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In December 2024, Mandelson was chosen to be the UK Ambassador to the United States. He took office on 10 February 2025. Although he had previously criticized Donald Trump, Mandelson publicly stated his respect for Trump after his nomination, acknowledging the will of the people.
Other Activities
Mandelson served as President of the Central School of Speech and Drama until 2008. In 2011, he was a guest of honor at Herbert Morrison Primary School, named after his grandfather. He was also the Chancellor of Manchester Metropolitan University from 2016 to 2025.
Personal Life
Mandelson is a private person. He married his partner, Reinaldo Avila da Silva, a Brazilian translator, on 28 October 2023. They live in London and have a collie dog named Jock.
In the Media
- Mandelson: The Real PM? (2010) was a documentary about Mandelson as Business Secretary.
- Mandelson has been portrayed by actors in several TV dramas:
- Paul Rhys in The Deal (2003)
- Mark Gatiss in Coalition (2015)
- Nigel Planer in The Hunt for Tony Blair (2011)
- The character Sebastian Love in the TV series Little Britain was based on Mandelson.
Honours
UK Baron (2008)
Grand Officer, Order of the Star of Italy (2016)
Officer, Légion d'honneur (2017)
See also
In Spanish: Peter Mandelson para niños
