Britain’s ambassador to Washington has said that the only country with a “special relationship” with the United States is “probably Israel,” not Britain, in leaked comments that could overshadow King Charles III’s state visit to the US this week.
Leaked Remarks
Christian Turner, who took office in February to replace Peter Mandelson — who was sacked over his ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — made the remarks privately to a group of British students visiting the US in the same month he was appointed.
“‘Special relationship’ is a phrase I try not to utter because it’s quite nostalgic, it’s quite backwards-looking, and has a lot of sort of baggage about it,” Turner said in the leaked audio recording. “I think there is probably one country that has a special relationship with the United States — and that is probably Israel.”
For the recently-appointed ambassador to cast doubt on the “special relationship” — which the British government and monarchy has been at pains to revive — is a cause for embarrassment for Downing Street. The remarks were first reported by the Financial Times on Tuesday, shortly before Charles and Queen Camilla were greeted by President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump at the White House.
Epstein Shadow
Turner also told students he thought it was “extraordinary” that the Epstein scandal “hasn’t touched anybody” in the US. By contrast, he said, senior British figures — including Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor — had been “brought down” by the affair.
Mandelson and Mountbatten-Windsor are both under investigation by UK authorities over alleged misconduct in public office. Both have denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein.
He said the Epstein scandal had raised an “interesting question” about the “different levels of accountability in our systems.”
Government Response
A Foreign Office spokesperson told CNN that Turner’s remarks were “private, informal comments” not intended to become public. “They are certainly not any reflection of the UK Government’s position,” the spokesperson said.
Despite disparaging the so-called “special relationship,” Turner said Anglo-American relations were nevertheless “strong.” “There is a deep history and affinity between us. Particularly on defense and security, we are intertwined,” he said.
But Turner noted that Britain and its European neighbors must “work to redefine” the relationship, particularly on defense. “We in Europe can’t just rely on a US security umbrella. So the relationship will carry on, if you want, special, but it’s going to have to be different.”
Source: CNN