UK ambassador suggests America’s ‘special relationship’ may now be strongest with Israel

Britain’s ambassador to Washington has reportedly suggested that the United States’ only true “special relationship” may now be with Israel rather than the UK, in comments that have sparked political attention during King Charles’s state visit to America.

According to the Financial Times, ambassador Christian Turner made the remarks during a private discussion with British sixth-form students visiting Washington earlier this year.

Turner, who took up the diplomatic post in February, was quoted as saying: “I think there is probably one country that has a special relationship with the United States – and that is probably Israel.”

His reported comments are said to have been made shortly before the United States and Israel carried out joint strikes against Iran in late February, at a time of growing military and strategic cooperation between the two allies.

The phrase “special relationship” has long been used to describe the close political, military and intelligence ties between Britain and the United States, dating back to the Second World War.

However, Turner reportedly told the students he was uncomfortable with the phrase, describing it as outdated and overly tied to history.

According to the Financial Times, he said the term was “quite nostalgic, it’s quite backwards-looking, and it has a lot of baggage about it”.

Despite that, Turner stressed that the UK and US remain deeply connected, particularly on defence and security matters.

He reportedly said the relationship between the two countries remained strong, adding that Britain and America were “intertwined” in key strategic areas.

The reported remarks emerged during a high-profile week for transatlantic diplomacy, as King Charles met US President Donald Trump in Washington.

A spokesperson for the Foreign Office distanced the government from the ambassador’s reported comments, telling HuffPost UK: “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.”

Israel and the United States have maintained close defence and intelligence ties for decades, with Washington providing military aid and diplomatic backing to successive Israeli governments.

Britain and the United States continue to cooperate closely on defence, intelligence, trade and foreign policy, with successive governments on both sides of the Atlantic describing the partnership as one of their closest international alliances.

The Financial Times reported that Turner also made wider observations about British politics and leadership challenges during the same discussion