Is the ‘special relationship’ all over? Biden didn’t use phrase during first meeting with Liz Truss
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Is the ‘special relationship’ over? Joe Biden didn’t use the phrase during the first meeting with Liz Truss, leading to rumor that it’s ‘retiring’
- Prime Minister’s First Meeting with Biden in Washington Shows Sentence Can Be Phased Out
- US President Biden instead told Liz Truss, “You are our closest ally in the world.”
- ‘Special relationship’ conceived by Churchill in 1946 during a lecture tour of American universities
- White House denied the term was ‘retired’ but offered to suspend its use
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The phrase has long stood for the enduring bond between the UK and the US.
But Liz Truss’s first meeting with Joe Biden in Washington suggested the term “special relationship” might be phased out as she launched her new foreign policy ethos.
The president did not utter the words Winston Churchill first used in bilateral talks, but told her, “You are our closest ally in the world.”
Last night, the White House denied that the term was “retired,” but offered to suspend its use, with an official saying, “We’ll shut it down until we can figure out what’s going on.”
However, the exchange was in stark contrast to when Miss Truss hit number 10 earlier this month.
At the time, Mr Biden said he looked forward to deepening “the special relationship” between the two nations.
Liz Truss’ first meeting with Joe Biden in Washington suggested that the term “special relationship” could be phased out. The two leaders held a bilateral meeting during the Prime Minister’s visit to the US to attend the 77th UN General Assembly
President Biden did not speak the words first used by Winston Churchill, but instead to Ms. Truss, “You are our closest ally in the world.”
Although he has used the phrase in his dealings with Boris Johnson before, the former prime minister has suggested scrapping the term as it risks sounding “needy and weak”.
His official spokesman noted: “He prefers not to use the expression, but that does not detract from the importance we place on our relationship with the US.”
Miss Truss has previously supported her predecessor’s thoughts on the matter. Last year, the prime minister told a fringe event at the Tory conference that the relationship was “special but not exclusive,” adding that Britain should not be “worried like a teenage girl at a party if we don’t act as good enough.” are considered’.
The term was first used by Churchill on a tour of American universities in 1946. It was most commonly used to describe the close relationship between Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan.
Relations between the countries have been tense in recent years, especially around post-Brexit trade in Northern Ireland.
Miss Truss held talks with Mr. Biden at the UN General Assembly in New York in an effort to find common ground and mend the relationship.