(FILES) US President Donald Trump makes a trade announcement as British ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson (R) looks on, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 8, 2025. The appointment of Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to the US despite close ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was "highly damaging" to the government and harmful to Britain's international standing, a parliamentary committee said on July 9, 2026. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty Images)