Long Table: Peter Mandelson’s Cosy Country Life in Lockdown 

Mace | Issue 2 | Uncategorised

From the Archive

longtable

Tucked away in Wiltshire, Peter Mandelson read his way through lockdown, when he wasn't zooming into the Lords

I am one of the guilty minority who have enjoyed a rural lockdown and I do not intend to abandon it. Decades ago, before I was elected in Hartlepool in 1992, I spent every waking moment I could in a farm labourer’s cottage in a loop of the River Wye in Herefordshire.  The first Kinnock-style remodelling of Labour was conducted from a fixed-line telephone which was the only modern accoutrement in this modest dwelling. Now I am renting a farmhouse in the Pewsey Vale in Wiltshire with excellent broadband, a Sonos system and a Portal TV which keeps me in contact with the most important people in my life. I have two dogs for company, a partner who works in London and visits regularly, and daily walks on the downs and in the woods. I have never experienced a bluebell season of this year’s magnificence. I suffer occasional bouts of cabin fever and was saved the other week by a stay at the excellent new beach-side Machrie Hotel on Islay (no midges and I replenished my stock of Islay malt whisk...

Subscribe to The Mace

Join the member community shaping British politics and stay ahead of what's really happening in the world of politics and public affairs, with expert analysis, breaking news, and insider insights from Westminster and Brussels. The Mace is the leading news source and resource for the government affairs industry, offering required reading and lobby intelligence for professionals.

To see what you are missing out on by not subscribing to The Mace, click here to download our full membership info-pack. This includes having no paywall on op-ed content or profiles/interviews, allowing professional profiles to be read with maximum impact and visibility by government, special advisers, MPs, peers, civil servants, and policy and political decision-makers.



EU Buy European Push Put on Ice as Member State Divisions Stall Plan

Mace | December 12, 2025

Deep splits among EU capitals force Brussels to delay its Buy European procurement push amid fears of protectionism and higher costs.

EU Council Signs Off EU UK Fishing Quotas Deal for 2026

Mace | December 12, 2025

Brussels approves annual EU UK fisheries agreement for 2026, setting shared quotas and access rules under the post Brexit framework.

EU Forces Meta to Reshape Ads Policy After 200 Million Euro Fine

Mace | December 10, 2025

Meta agrees to overhaul its EU ad model, offering clearer data-sharing choices for users after regulators ruled its previous system breached competition rules.

EU Governments Agree Common Position on New Asylum and Migrant Return Rules

Mace | December 10, 2025

EU states back new asylum and return measures, including safe-country rules and a solidarity pool, ahead

MACE Marks Five Years with Westminster Celebration

Mace | December 4, 2025

MACE marked its 5th anniversary with a high-profile Commons reception of politicians, diplomats, media figures and lobbyists, launching its influencers report

Scathing criticism

Christopher Silvester | December 3, 2025

From self-lacerating memoir to by-election madness and a Labour Together takedown, The Mace’s literary editor Christopher Silvester rounds up the latest political books.

Telling a human tale

Christopher Silvester | December 3, 2025

From self-lacerating memoir to by-election madness and a Labour Together takedown, The Mace’s literary editor Christopher Silvester rounds up the latest political books.

Ex-deputy chair among Tory defections to Reform

Mace | November 30, 2025

Three former Conservative MPs, including ex-deputy chair Jonathan Gullis, defect to Reform UK as the party capitalises on Tory unrest and declining support.

UK–EU Defence Fund Talks Collapse Over Entry Fee Standoff

Mace | November 30, 2025

Talks between London and Brussels collapsed after the EU demanded a high entry fee for SAFE, leaving the UK limited to third-country participation.

Government to Ban Asylum Seekers from Taxi Services

Thomas Edwards | November 30, 2025

The government plans to end most taxi travel for asylum seekers attending medical appointments, replacing it with public transport and tightening Home Office oversight.