Mandelson is back

Gordon Brown has just appointed Peter Mandelson to the House of Lords and to the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.

Those who do not follow UK politics will not realise how extraordinary this is. Brown and Mandelson have spent a decade hating each other.

Lance Price recaps how their feud almost destroyed the Blair Government.

Mandelson is a very smart political operator, and it is a bold move by Brown to bring him in. It will get the Blairities back on board and strengthen the Cabinet. However Mandelson is hated by many Labour MPs also, so it is a risk.