Peter Mandelson, a Labour Party politician and member of the UK’s House of Lords, will be taking control of British diplomacy with Washington, D.C. — and he’s trying to wipe the slate clean with the administration before his work begins.

During Trump’s first administration, the British peer laid thick criticism on the president. He called Trump “little short of a white nationalist and racist,” as well as a “bully” and a “danger to the world.”

“I consider my remarks about President Trump as ill-judged and wrong,” Mandelson told Fox News Digital this week. “I think times and attitudes towards the president have changed since then.”

Mandelson blamed his attitude on the political climate of Britain at the time, saying the country was dealing with “very fraught politics” and “high emotion.” He also alluded to the idea that he was led into making the remarks by a journalist with an agenda.

“I think people have been impressed [by Trump] — not just by the extraordinary second mandate that he has received from the American people, but the dynamism and energy with which he approached not just the campaign but government as well,” he said.

Mandelson is a surprise pick to handle the “Special Relationship” between the U.K. and U.S., the first appointee in years not to already have an established career in diplomacy. He claims this aspect will be a point of convergence with Trump.

“The president isn’t a career diplomat, and I’m not a career diplomat. I came into politics to change things for the better for people, and so did he,” Mandelson said of his relationship with Trump. “We share a similar, if not identical, outlook on the world and motivation in politics. But I think above all, we believe in something which is really special between our countries.”

Mandelson earned himself the nickname “Prince of Darkness” among his British colleagues for his skill in clandestine politicking within the Labour Party.

He was instrumental in the rise of former Prime Minister Tony Blair, who ordered Mandelson not to be referred to by name in his work for the campaign. He adopted the codename “Bobby” — a name by which he was thanked during Blair’s victory speech.

Mandelson has held office as the U.K.’s President of the Board of Trade and the First Secretary of State. He also previously served as the Commissioner for Trade for the European Union.