Mandelson's plea to Blair for a fresh chance
His efforts were rewarded when Mr Blair appointed him to the plum post of Britain's commissioner on the European Commission in Brussels with responsibility for trade.
Former BBC director general Lord Birt (David Cheskin/PA)
Mr Mandelson was forced to quit as Northern Ireland secretary in January 2001 following claims he had helped the controversial Indian businessman Srichand Hinduja secure a UK passport in return for sponsoring the Millennium Dome.
Although an official inquiry cleared him of any impropriety, Mr Blair was reluctant to bring his old friend back into the fold after he had already resigned once before in a scandal over an undeclared home loan from fellow Labour minister Geoffrey Robinson.
In April 2003, however, Lord Birt – who was serving as a senior policy adviser in No 10 – wrote to the prime minister urging him to think again.
'I gather from Peter that you still talk to him regularly – but, as a safeguard, you may like to know what he reports to me about his current state of mind,' he wrote.
'He feels this spring/summer may be the moment of decision for him. He's approaching 50 – and he is sorely conscious that time is passing and he has yet to fulfil his promise.
'As you know, Peter's deepest wish is to return to government. He stresses that he has already proved to be a capable minister, and that he would be a strong ally for you in cabinet.
'If you judge a return to government is not possible, then he would like you to consider appointing him as EC Commissioner.
'One way or another, he says he wants to settle his future this year, even if it means a career outside politics.'
Just four months later, it was announced that he was to be the UK's next European commissioner. He was subsequently awarded a life peerage in 2008 and is currently the British Ambassador to the United States.
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