UK Ambassador Throws Cold Water on "Special Relationship" with US, Points to Israel Instead

The so-called “special relationship” between the United Kingdom and the United States took a hit this week when Sir Christian Turner, the UK ambassador to the US, let slip a blunt assessment: the only country that really enjoys a “special relationship” with America today is Israel.

In a leaked audio recording obtained by the Financial Times and reported by the BBC, Turner told a group of British sixth-form students in February that he avoids using the phrase “special relationship” because it feels “nostalgic” and “backwards-looking” — loaded with “baggage.” He went on to say, “I think there is probably one country that has a special relationship with the United States, and that is probably Israel.”

This candid admission couldn’t come at a more awkward time. King Charles III is currently in the US on a state visit aimed at reaffirming the UK-US alliance. Yet relations between the Biden administration and British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer are reportedly chilly, and the ambassador’s comments underscore the reality that the decades-old notion of a uniquely close UK-US bond is eroding.

Turner did acknowledge the “deep history and affinity” between the two countries, especially in security and defense, and noted their economies remain closely intertwined. But he warned that “we’re certainly at the end of an era, and the era is changing.” He urged the UK government to stop pretending the relationship is automatically “special” and instead focus on what the UK can concretely bring to the table.

Diplomats have reportedly moved away from using the phrase “special relationship” altogether, recognizing it as outdated. Israel’s alignment with the US is sharper and more active, especially as the two nations coordinate on conflicts like the current war with Iran — a conflict the UK has so far refused to engage in militarily.

The ambassador’s remarks also touched on the Epstein scandal, criticizing the US for failing to hold powerful figures accountable while the controversy “brought down” prominent UK figures like Prince Andrew and Lord Peter Mandelson. This pointed critique of American political and justice systems is a rare moment of frankness from a diplomat.

The UK Foreign Office quickly distanced itself from the ambassador’s comments, calling them “private, informal” and “not any reflection” of official government policy. But the damage is done: the myth of an unshakable UK-US “special relationship” has been publicly punctured just as the royal visit seeks to revive it.

For those tracking the shifting alliances and power plays of the Trump era and beyond, this episode is a clear sign that the transatlantic bond is fraying—and that the US’s true closest ally today is not the UK, but Israel.