Rishi Sunak’s Washington trip is chance to make US ‘special relationship’ mean something once again
Here’s a provocative question. Has the much-vaunted phrase ‘the special relationship’ become hackneyed?
The Anglo-American phrase is deeply protected, especially by the British side.
And as Prime Minister Sunak traverses a busy few days in Washington, expect to hear it repeated lots and with photo opportunities to match.
Only former prime minister Liz Truss is said to have found it to have a somewhat desperate tone to it.
But that view lasted only as long as her premiership.
Rishi Sunak with Joe Biden at G7 Leaders Summit in Japan. Pic: No 10 Downing Street
All other British prime ministers value it deeply – the phrase as well as the actual relationship.
Roots of the ‘special relationship’
It is a relationship which has its roots in the genuinely special rapport between the late Queen Elizabeth II and President Dwight D Eisenhower.
She and Eisenhower fostered a relationship in the run-up to D-Day 79 years ago this week.
Eisenhower was the wartime general. Elizabeth was the wartime princess. D-Day was an acute early example of the special relationship in action.
President Dwight Eisenhower with Queen Elizabeth in Washington in 1957
The Queen would go on to anchor the relationship through numerous political leaders on both sides.
The status now of the special relationship is less clear.
There is no question that the US values the UK leadership on Ukraine (Britain is second only to America on finance and weapons and has arguably led the way in terms of rallying others), but beyond that, UK relevance just isn’t what it was.
This is not just a vibe you feel among Americans in Washington, but a sentiment you feel talking to diplomats of other countries here too.
People in this town point to Brexit and the subsequent political turmoil as the cause.
Rishi Sunak arrived in the US on 6 June. Pic: AP
Where once, the UK was America’s bridge to Brussels and the EU, now a new bridge has been built straight to Europe.
President Joe Biden counts EU Commission President Ursula von Der Leyen among his closest allies.
Yes – Mr Sunak and President Biden have established a smooth and warm relationship but America now has other obvious special relationships too.
The numerous different British PMs of late certainly hasn’t helped to maintain the relationship.
British officials are making much of the fact that this Sunak visit has been designated by the president as an ‘Official Working Visit’ rather than just a ‘Working Visit’.
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Why is the PM going to Washington?
There is a distinction and in Downing Street it matters and it’s appreciated.
David Cameron was the last prime minister to bag ‘official’ in the trip’s title.
The zeitgeist issue – AI
Expect Mr Sunak to focus heavily on artificial intelligence (AI) – the zeitgeist issue.
He wants Britain, with its innovation and tech credentials, to lead the way in terms of navigating the challenges of AI. But is the UK sidelined by the US-EU machines?
Absolutely not, Mr Sunak’s officials insist.
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Expect emphasis on a new level of partnership on economic security and on competition (not conflict) with China.
On China, maybe Britain could have an edge on the EU in terms of healing and fostering relations?
Expect Mr Sunak to trumpet Britain’s relevance.
Ukraine will be Mr Sunak’s example of how UK leadership is making a difference.
Rishi Sunak attends a laying of a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington. Pic: AP
He is expected to lobby President Biden to back the UK’s desire to push Defence Secretary Ben Wallace as the next secretary-general of NATO.
The prime minister’s time on Capitol Hill is also critical. Meeting lawmakers on ‘the Hill’ is vital for continuity in the topsy-turvy world of American politics.
Connections with politicians on the right (including the Trumpian cohort) must be fostered because who knows what will happen in November next year.
This visit is a chance to make the special relationship mean something again.
Elon Musk has stepped up his attacks on Donald Trump’s sweeping tax and spending bill – weeks after a spectacular fallout between the world’s richest man and the US president.
Following weeks of relative silence after clashing with Mr Trump over his “big beautiful bill”, the billionaire vowed to unseat politicians who support it.
In a post on X, Musk said those who had campaigned on cutting spending but then backed the bill “should hang their heads in shame”.
He added: “And they will lose their primary next year if it is the last thing I do on this Earth.”
Musk also threatened to put their faces on a poster which said “liar” and “voted to increase America’s debt” by $5trn (£3.6trn).
The posts attracted a swift reply from Mr Trump, who claimed the billionaire “may get more subsidy than any human being in history” for his electric car business.
“Without subsidies, Elon would probably have to close up shop and head back home to South Africa,” he wrote on Truth Social.
“No more Rocket launches, Satellites, or Electric Car Production, and our Country would save a FORTUNE. Perhaps we should have DOGE take a good, hard, look at this? BIG MONEY TO BE SAVED!!!”
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Elon’s dad on the Musk-Trump bust-up
Musk spent at least $250m (£182m) supporting Mr Trump in his presidential campaign and then led the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which sacked about 120,000 federal employees.
He has argued the legislation would greatly increase the US national debt and wipe out the savings he claimed he achieved through DOGE.
As the Senate discussed the package, Musk called it “utterly insane and destructive”.
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO said the bill’s massive spending indicated “we live in a one-party country – the PORKY PIG PARTY!!”
“Time for a new political party that actually cares about the people,” he wrote.
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Musk previously said some of his social media posts during his dramatic fallout with Mr Trump “went too far”.
He had shared a series of posts on X, including one that described Mr Trump’s tax and spending bill as a “disgusting abomination”.
He also claimed, in a since-deleted post, that the president appeared in files relating to the disgraced paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
But Musk later wrote: “I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far.”
In response, the president told the New York Post: “I thought it was very nice that he did that.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be meeting Donald Trump next Monday, according to US officials.
The visit on 7 July comes after Mr Trump suggested it was possible a ceasefire in Gaza could be reached within a week.
On Sunday, he wrote on social media: “MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!”
At least 60 people killed across Gaza on Monday, in what turned out to be some of the heaviest attacks in weeks.
Benjamin Netanyahu, left, with Donald Trump during a previous meeting. Pic: Reuters
According to the Hamas-run health ministry, 56,500 people have been killed in the 20-month war.
The visit by Mr Netanyahu to Washington has not been formally announced and the officials who said it would be going ahead spoke on condition of anonymity.
An Israeli official in Washington also confirmed the meeting next Monday.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the administration was in constant communication with the Israeli government.
She said Mr Trump viewed ending the war in Gaza and returning remaining hostages held by Hamas as a top priority.
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The war in Gaza broke out in retaliation for Hamas’ 7 October 2023 attacks on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw a further 250 taken hostage.
An eight-week ceasefire was reached in the final days of Joe Biden’s US presidency, but Israel resumed the war in March after trying to get Hamas to accept new terms on next steps.
Talks between Israel and Hamas have stalled over whether the war should end as part of any ceasefire.
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