Peter Mandelson: a life in politics

Peter Mandelson at home in Hertfordshire in 1992 Photograph: Paul Felix/Rex Features

1 January 1997: Neil Kinnock shares a joke with Mandelson at the Labour conference in Brighton Photograph: Steve Eason/Hulton Archive/Getty

20 August 1997: Mandelson as minister responsible for the ill-fated Millennium Dome Photograph: Press Association

12 October 1999: Mandelson, the new Northern Ireland secretary, kisses his predecessor, Mo Mowlam, at Stormont in Belfast before addressing the media Photograph: Paul Faith/Press Association

11 February 2000: Mandelson plays with his dog, Bobby, in the grounds of Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland Photograph: Paul McErlane/Reuters

18 April 2000: Tony Blair speaks to waiting journalists with Mandelson on his arrival at Hillsborough Castle Photograph: Paul McErlane/Reuters

26 October 2000: Mandelson and Blair at Castle Buildings in Belfast, where he held talks with Northern Ireland's political leaders before a crucial meeting of the Ulster Unionist party's ruling council Photograph: Press Association

24 January 2001: Blair and Mandelson at prime minister's questions in the House of Commons Photograph: Empics/Press Association

24 January 2001: Mandelson announcing his resignation outside 10 Downing Street. He quit over a row about a telephone call he made to the Home Office minister Mike O'Brien in 1998 regarding a possible application for a UK passport by the Indian tycoon Srichand Hinduja Photograph: David Sillitoe/Guardian

8 March 2001: Mandelson outside his north London home after resigning Photograph: Jonathan Evans/Reuters

11 March 2006: Mandelson became the EU's trade commissioner in 2004. Here he takes a break during negotiations at Carlton Gardens Photograph: Martin Argles/Guardian

10 March 2006: Mandelson chairs trade negotiations with Japan and India at Carlton Gardens Photograph: Martin Argles/Guardian

8 November 2006: Mandelson at a news conference in Beijing as EU trade commissioner Photograph: Claro Cortes IV/Reuters

Oleg Deripaska's yacht moored outside the Rothschild estate in Corfu, Greece. According to reports Mandelson stayed on the yacht belonging to the Russian billionaire last summer after the Rothschilds ran out of room for him. Mandelson was also alleged to have discussed Gordon Brown at a taverna on the island with George Osborne, the shadow chancellor Photograph: Scoopt/Getty

Mandelson arrives at 10 Downing Street in October 2008, having made a surprise return to the cabinet as business secretary after a cabinet reshuffle Photograph: Martin Argles

Baron Mandelson of Foy in the county of Herefordshire and Hartlepool in the county of Durham taking his seat in the House of Lords in October 2008 Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA

Mandelson talks to the media in October 2008 following reports of his meeting with Osborne Photograph: Shaun Curry/AFP

Mandelson, moments after an environmental activist threw green custard over him in March this year Photograph: Plane Stupid/Reuters

Mandelson and Sir Alan Sugar appear on The Andrew Marr Show in June this year Photograph: BBC/Getty

Brown and Mandelson visit the Nissan plant in Sunderland in July this year Photograph: John Giles/Reuters

Peter Mandelson, the first secretary of state and secretary of state for business, innovation and skills Photograph: David Levene