Britain's ambassador to the United States has called for "renewal" rather than retreat in the transatlantic 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, Sir Christian Turner said the two countries had moved "from adversaries to allies" over 250 years. He pointed to an historic State Visit, the largest ever British trade mission to the United States, and a World Cup that settled "one question beyond any doubt: no Scotland, no party."
Turner said the new British Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, had a "very positive first meeting" with President Trump last week, and quoted the King's address to Congress describing the relationship as "vital, enduring and consequential."
Addressing critics of the alliance, Turner said he had heard "voices of doubt on both sides of the Atlantic" who argue nations should turn inward. "I draw the opposite conclusion. Because history teaches us that the answer to change is not retreat. It is renewal," he said. To those who say British cities are unsafe or that the UK has abandoned freedom of speech, he said: "I say you are factually wrong. I reject the distorted narratives and forces of division that drive this."
Turner cited concrete results of the partnership, including a trade agreement that has unlocked life-changing breast cancer treatments in the UK, security agencies disrupting cyber criminals behind 120 attacks and $115 million in ransom payments, and a Royal Navy test launch of a US torpedo from an uncrewed submersible as a milestone for AUKUS.
He said bilateral trade hit a record $430 billion this year, growing at 4%, with $1.7 trillion invested in each other's economies and the UK a top investor in 25 of 50 US states. Britain is NATO's third-highest defence spender in cash terms, with nearly $400 billion committed over the next four years, and 15% of every F35 airframe is manufactured in the UK.
Turner also highlighted the Duke of Edinburgh's Award, active in all 50 states, and a time capsule buried at the Washington Monument 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.