Americans DO savour Special Relationship

IT’S a bond built on hundreds of years of history.

And despite recent uncertainty, it seems Americans believe more strongly than Britons that the UKUS pact is a Special Relationship.

Among Britons, only 28 per cent believe the alliance is ‘special’ while 52 per cent say it isn’t, according to think-tank Policy Exchange. But for Americans, 60 per cent value the UK-US pact.

More Americans than Britons also believe the relationship has been a force for good in the world. Meanwhile, 59 per cent said the UK is an important and strategic ally and some 63 per cent said it should be.

Nearly seven in ten Americans (69 per cent) also believe the UK needs the support of the US. And the research showed that in the US, the Special Relationship transcends party politics.

It found that a majority of Rightwingers (58 per cent) and Leftleaning liberals (67 per cent) believe that the US-UK relationship is important.

And in Britain, many view the US as a superpower (45 per cent).

The Special Relationship was recently under strain when Boris Johnson spoke out against Joe Biden’s rapid withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. And other leaders have also not seen eye to eye in the past.

Barack Obama said he and former PM David Cameron ‘butted heads’ on many issues and Donald Trump criticised Theresa May’s handling of Brexit.