Why maintaining the UK-US Special Relationship is vital for the world

It is true that his decision to attack was questionable, the outcome of the conflict to date has not justified the loss of life, and the UK Government was right to avoid getting involved in offensive operations.

However, this is not a reason to suspend our decades-old cultural alliance with the US or, indeed, take an even more drastic step over our vital military alliance. Instead, it’s all the more important to work to maintain the Special Relationship.

So when the US Army Field Band arrives to perform the “best of Americana” at the Tattoo, they should receive only the friendliest of welcomes. They should not be defined by their president, any more than any other American.

READ MORE: The King can help strengthen strained Special Relationship with the US

A historic alliance

There were also calls for King Charles’s current visit to the US to be cancelled, but again this would have been a mistake. In a speech to Congress, Charles stressed the bond between the UK and US was “one of the greatest alliances in human history” and said that, while they have not always agreed with each other, “time and again, our two countries have always found ways to come together”.

Trump has cast doubt on America’s commitment to the Nato alliance and to the defence of democracy by slashing American aid to Ukraine. His administration’s open support for the far-right AfD in Germany and other similar parties in Europe is another huge concern.

However, symbolic snubs will only drive him towards even more extreme positions. The goal must to be to keep Trump’s America inside the coalition of Western democracies and hope the next election brings a president, whether Democrat or Republican, who takes a more traditional stance on foreign policy.

The US is the most powerful country in the world and has long been a bastion of freedom and democracy. If the UK can help keep it that way, it will not only benefit this country, but the world.