US is no longer a reliable ally and the special relationship is over, former national security adviser warns Starmer

Britain should “completely forget” the idea of ​​a special relationship with the US and “can no longer trust” Washington as an ally, a former national security adviser has warned.

Sir Keir Starmer’s relationship with Donald Trump has soured on the world stage in recent weeks; The US president has repeatedly criticized the prime minister for his response to the war against Iran.

Mr Trump’s public comments have highlighted his increasingly strained relationship with the prime minister and have now raised questions about Britain’s diplomatic ties with America.

Former national security adviser Lord Peter Ricketts said the war in the Middle East was a “huge wake-up call” for Britain and warned the government must now “completely forget” the idea of ​​a special relationship between Britain and the US.

“The idea of ​​a special relationship we should now completely forget. It’s a transactional relationship with Washington as with every other country,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

He said he believed officials behind the scenes would still work together, but that relations at the top level were “incredibly difficult and volatile.”

“I think we need to rethink the idea that the United States is a reliable ally that we can rely on for the long term,” he said.

“We have to get closer to the Europeans, figure out how we live in a world where America’s attention is shifting away from Europe and, in my 50 years of experience in foreign affairs, we can no longer rely on the relationship we have with America.”

Sir Keir and Mr Trump’s relations have become increasingly strained in recent weeks following the US president’s harsh comments in response to Britain’s refusal to join offensive operations against Iran.

His latest comments came at a White House Easter event on Monday; where the US president apparently likened Sir Keir Starmer to Neville Chamberlain and told reporters the UK had “a long way to go”.

He said: “We won’t want another Neville Chamberlain, do we agree? We don’t want any Neville Chamberlain.”

It comes weeks after another mockery in which Sir Keir said he was “no Winston Churchill”.

He imitated the prime minister in a speech at the White House last week, quoting Sir Keir as saying he should ask his team about sending “two old, broken-down aircraft carriers” to the Middle East.

Britain has previously given the US permission to use British military bases, including Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean and RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, for “defensive” strikes against Iranian missile sites.

But Sir Keir has so far not bowed to US pressure and refused to become directly involved in US attacks in the region.

Former foreign secretary Sir James Cleverly said on Wednesday that Mr Trump had “no respect for Keir Starmer” and also warned that UK-US relations were “damaged”.

“It is now very clear that President Trump has no respect for Keir Starmer,” he told GB News.

“I mean, Keir Starmer was a sycophant to begin with, he immediately accepted the offer of an official visit. “He showed no strength.

“As I said, he was shown to be indecisive, sycophantic, desperately trying to curry favor with the US president when he went to America, then came back to England to look tough at the letterbox.

“And the problem is, you can’t talk from both sides of your mouth at the same time. The United States has seen this.”

“I think his personal relationship with the president of the United States is beyond repair.”

The prime minister will travel to the Gulf on Wednesday to meet allies in the region and discuss diplomatic efforts to “support and maintain” the new ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran.

Donald Trump announced the two-week conditional ceasefire in a social media post around midnight after threatening to destroy Iran’s civilian infrastructure if a deal was not reached by Tuesday night.

The prime minister welcomed news of the overnight agreement between Washington and Tehran, saying it would “bring momentary relief to the region and the world.”