The decision of a Prime Minister

19 April 2026 Only one person decided to appoint Lord Mandelson * Once upon a time there was a ruler who made a bad decision. All the courtiers and servants knew it was a bad decision, but they put into effect the bad decision, for the ruler had already made and proclaimed the decision. And when it turned out to be a very bad decision indeed, those courtiers and servants were sacked by the now “furious” ruler. * When the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom makes a bad decision it always seems that others must take the blame. Of course, such shruggery is not unusual in politics: one does not usually become a Prime Minister by being the sort that resigns from jobs. That is not how one climbs what Disraeli called the greasy pole to Prime Ministerial office. But when Keir Starmer appointed Lord Mandelson as ambassador to the United States (thereby sacking a perfectly capable ambassador), it was very much his decision. A decision which only the Prime Minister could make. View…