Sacked Mandelson recruited BBC boss to help beg for a new government job
Papers released by the National Archives show Lord Mandelson hoped Lord John Birt, the former BBC director-general, would help him to secure another top job and 'fulfil his promise'.
Lord Mandelson, who is now the UK's ambassador to the US, was appointed by Sir Tony in 2004 to the post of Britain's European commissioner, which oversaw trade.
He had been forced to quit as Northern Ireland secretary in January 2001 following claims he had helped Srichand Hinduja, the controversial Indian businessman, secure a UK passport in return for sponsoring the Millennium Dome.
The Hammond report later found there had been no wrongdoing from all involved.
Despite this, Sir Tony was reluctant to bring Lord Mandelson back into the fold after he had already resigned once before in 1998 from his post as trade secretary after a scandal over an undeclared home loan from Geoffrey Robinson, a fellow Labour minister.
However, Lord Birt, who was serving as a senior policy adviser in No 10, wrote to the prime minister in April 2003 urging him to think again.
'I gather from Peter [Mandelson] 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.'
Lord Birt's letter continued: '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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