The relationship between the UK and US is “special but not exclusive” and London should not be “worried like some teenage girl at a party” when Washington seeks to strengthen ties with other nations, the foreign secretary says.
Liz Truss gave her view on the so-called “special relationship”, a phrase which has long been used to describe the ties between the UK and US, as she addressed a fringe event at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester.
Asked if she was a fan of the term, Ms Truss told the audience: “I do love the United States, I think it’s a fabulous country and a very close ally of the United Kingdom.”
But she stressed: “We’ve got other close allies as well. Australia is becoming a close ally of ours, we’ve got important relationships across Europe. We have an important relationship with India.
“So it’s special but not exclusive.”
The foreign secretary also said the UK should not feel insecure about the US seeking to deepen relations with countries like Japan and India.
“I don’t feel we’re in competition with other countries to be the United States’ best friend,” she declared at the event hosted by Conservative Home and The UK in a Changing Europe.
“I don’t think these things are a question of some kind of beauty parade of countries and the UK has to be front and centre and we’re worried like some teenage girl at a party if we’re not considered to be good enough.
“I just don’t see it like that.”
Strain has been placed on the relationship in recent months by the West’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, while there have been warnings that a row between the UK and EU over the Northern Ireland Protocol could scupper hopes of a UK-US trade pact.
On the status of trade talks and whether she was surprised by the…
Source : skynews
