Donald Trump is destroying UK-US Special Relationship. Time to make a new one

Donald Trump is fast destroying the Special Relationship between the US and UK

The Special Relationship between the UK and the US has been a near-constant feature of international relations for decades. It has always meant more to this country and we have always worked harder to maintain it, but there has been no doubting its significance.

However, less than three months into his second term as president, Donald Trump has already made rapid progress towards killing it off. While publicly Labour ministers must maintain the façade of friendship, in the hope that Trump is a temporary aberration, the reality is that he might be able to exploit loopholes to secure an unconstitutional third term. And, if not, his replacement could be a fellow traveller like Vice-President JD Vance.

It should be remembered that, before the recent general election in Germany, Vance met with the far-right AfD party and called for mainstream parties to ditch a shared commitment not to work with them.

Such actions should make Conservative councillors considering defection to Trump ally Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party think twice. The company you keep is an important test of character.

Keir Starmer is trying to maintain a façade of friendship with Donald Trump (Picture: Andrew Harnik) | Getty Images

Spheres of influence

Trump appears to subscribe to the idea of global ‘spheres of influence’, hence his unpleasant, ham-fisted attempts to cajole Canada and Greenland into becoming part of the US, and take control of the Panama Canal.

Russia and China also have their spheres. The suggestion that they should be allowed to do whatever they want within them does not bode well for the Ukraine War or Taiwan’s hopes of seeing off a possible invasion by China.

This leaves Europe as a bastion of liberal democracy, the rule of law, and human rights. And, given the aggressive, authoritarian natures of Russia and China, and Trump’s dismissive attitude, it clearly needs to massively increase its military capabilities if it is to defend itself and act as a bulwark against the spread of global tyranny.

In this endeavour, the European Union and the UK must work in lockstep together and build even stronger relationships with Canada, Japan, Australia and other democracies around the world.

Out of this Trumpian Crisis, a historic new Special Relationship, between London and Brussels, must be born.