United States has special relationship only with Israel: UK envoy

The UK’s ambassador to the US has said the only the country that has a “special relationship” with the United States is Israel.

“My advice to my prime minister is ‘I can’t just put my hands on my ears and say it’s special, it’s going to be fine’,” Sir Christian Turner told a group of students of the transatlantic relationship in February.

The remarks were first reported by the Financial Times during King Charles III’s state visit to the US, a trip aimed at smoothing relations at a time of heightened tension over the US war on Iran.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said the “private, informal comments” were “not any reflection” of the government’s policy.

In a leaked audio recording of Sir Christian’s meeting with students, he can be heard saying: “Special relationship is a phrase I try not to utter because it’s quite nostalgic, it’s quite backwards-looking, and it has a lot of sort of baggage about it.”

“I think there is probably one country that has a special relationship with the United States, and that is probably Israel,” he said.

Sir Christian also said the US and the UK share “a deep history and affinity”, particularly on security and defence.

“There are things we do together that no two other countries do.”

He said he did not believe the UK and the US were in a “moment of rupture” but said: “I think we’re certainly at the end of an era and the era is changing”.

The FCDO said in a statement: “These were private, informal comments made to a group of UK sixth-form students visiting the US in early February.

“They are certainly not any reflection of the UK government’s position.”