Britain's ambassador to the United States, Sir Christian Turner, has called for "renewal" rather than "retreat" in the UK-US alliance, saying the relationship's strength lies in its ability to keep reinventing itself.
Speaking at the King's Birthday Party at the British Embassy in Washington on 30 September 2026, Turner marked 250 years since 1776, describing the journey "from adversaries to allies" and quoting the King's address to Congress that the relationship is "vital, enduring and consequential."
He pointed to concrete results, saying the trade agreement had unlocked life-changing breast cancer treatments in the UK, security agencies had disrupted cyber criminals behind 120 attacks and $115 million in ransom payments, and the Royal Navy had test launched a US torpedo from an uncrewed submersible under the AUKUS partnership.
Turner said he had heard "voices of doubt on both sides of the Atlantic" questioning whether old alliances still matter, and rejected the idea that nations should turn inward. "History teaches us that the answer to change is not retreat. It is renewal," he said.
He also pushed back directly at critics: "To those who say British cities are unsafe, that we are being overrun by migrants or have abandoned freedom of speech, I say you are factually wrong. I reject the distorted narratives and forces of division that drive this."
On Britain's economic and security standing, Turner said the UK is home to four of the world's top ten universities and the third-largest tech ecosystem on earth, and was the fastest growing economy in the G7 in the first half of 2026. He said the UK is NATO's third-highest defence spender in cash terms, with nearly $400 billion committed over the next four years, and that 15% of every F35 airframe is manufactured in the UK.
Bilateral trade hit a record $430 billion, growing at 4%, with $1.7 trillion invested in each other's economies, he said, adding the UK is a top investor in 25 of the 50 US states.
Turner noted the new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham had a "very positive first meeting" with President Trump last week, and welcomed the Duke of Edinburgh, whose award is now active in all 50 states. He also described joining US officials, including Secretary Burgum, at the Washington Monument to bury a time capsule to be opened on America's 500th birthday in 2276.
"When the United Kingdom and the United States combine our talent, our ingenuity and our ambition, the future becomes brighter for all of us," he said.