. . .and should not be able to find a PM naïve enough to accept his lies at face value.

Very true, Nigel. If naivete is what it was. Spin doctors are very useful until they get found out. I suspect Mandleson looked like the ideal ambassador for Trump's USA. In either case it was bad judgement on Starmer's part but he was not the first and will not be the last to fall for their own spin!