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.
Read more:
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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.
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Thousands of people gathered in various cities across the US as protests against Donald Trump and Elon Musk took place in all 50 states on Saturday.
Around 1,200 demonstrations were planned in locations including Washington DC, New York City and West Palm Beach, Florida – just miles away from where the US president has this weekend played golf.
The “Hands Off!” protests were against the Trump administration’s handling of government downsizing, human rights and the economy, among other issues.
In Washington DC, protesters streamed on the grass in front of the Washington Monument, where one person carried a banner which read: “Make democracy great again.”
Thousands gathered in Washington DC to rally against various Trump policies. Pic: AP
Pic: AP
Another protester took aim at Mr Trump‘s handling of Russia and Ukraine, with a placard that read: “Stop Putin’s puppets from destroying America.”
Tesla boss Mr Musk also featured on many signs due to his role in controversial government cuts as head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Demonstrators in NYC. Pic: AP
People marching in Atlanta, Georgia. Pic: Reuters
A rally in Vermont. Pic: The Brattleboro Reformer via AP
Terry Klein, a retired biomedical scientist, said she drove to the rally to protest Mr Trump’s policies on “everything from immigration to the DOGE stuff to the tariffs this week, to education”.
“I mean, our whole country is under attack, all of our institutions, all the things that make America what it is,” she added.
A drone view of the protest at the Utah State Capitol building. Pic Reuters
A protester sports a Handmaid’s Tale costume. Pic: Reuters
Pic: Reuters
Some at the various protests carried Ukrainian flags, while others sported rainbow attire and waved rainbow flags in support of the LGBTQ+ community.
Other protesters wore Palestinian keffiyeh scarves and carried “Free Palestine” signs.
Thousands marched in New York City’s midtown Manhattan and in Boston, Massachusetts, while hundreds gathered in the sunshine outside the Utah State Capitol building in Salt Lake City, and in the rain outside the Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio.
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Mr Trump – who shook financial markets with his tariffs announcement this week – spent the day in Florida, playing a round of golf before returning to his Mar-a-Lago residence.
People protest in Manhattan. Pic: Reuters
Activists in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. Pic: AP
Some four miles from Mar-a-Lago, more than 400 people gathered – and drivers honked their horns in support of protesters who held up signs including one which read: “Markets tank, Trump golfs.”
The White House has said Mr Trump plans to go golfing again on Sunday.
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