Former Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Mandelson is tipped to make a surprise guest appearance on the final of Strictly Come Dancing tomorrow night, The Belfast Telegraph can reveal.

The Secretary of State for Business is expected to take to the dancefloor alongside celebrities Lisa Snowdon, Rachel Stevens and Tom Chambers to wow the crowd in a Christmas extravaganza.

Lord Mandelson has made no secret of his desire to appear on the show. In November the peer said he had been watching political journalist John Sergeant’s progress with “a certain degree of envy”, and when asked by the BBC if he would appear himself he added: “It would be nice to be asked.”

Speculation mounted this morning that he would make a cameo appearance on Saturday night’s show. He is understood to be a nifty ballroom dancer, and was once described by former colleague Derek Draper as “one of those rare people who can dance flamboyantly while looking rather cool”.

A BBC spokeswoman for Strictly Come Dancing said arrangements were yet to be finalised, and she was unable to confirm or deny the news.

A spokeswoman from Lord Mandelson’s office in the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform said: “We are not able to confirm anything. Peter has been provided with a couple of tickets for the show, but that doesn’t mean to say he’s going to go.”

Lord Mandelson enjoyed a brief spell as Tony Blair’s Northern Ireland Secretary before resigning in 2001 over allegations of involvement in the Hinduja brothers’ passport applications.

He described his third Cabinet appointment in October as “third time lucky”.

Bookmaker William Hill is already accepting punts on who will appear in Strictly in 2009, with 7/4 odds on Peter Mandelson featuring as a regular contestant.