Sir Christian Turner Says U.S. Only Special Relationship Is Probably Israel

Britain’s ambassador to the United States, Sir Christian Turner, said in leaked audio that the only country with a “special relationship” with the United States is “probably Israel,” not the United Kingdom.

“- Published The UK's ambassador to the US has said the only country that has a "special relationship" with the United States is "probably Israel"”

BBC

In the recording, Turner told a group of students of the transatlantic relationship that “I think there is probably one country that has a special relationship with the United States, and that is probably Israel,” and he added that he tries “not to utter” the phrase because it is “quite nostalgic, it’s quite backwards-looking, and it has a lot of baggage about it.”

BBC

The remarks were first reported by the Financial Times, and they surfaced shortly before King Charles III arrived at the White House during his state visit to the US, as BBC described.

The UK Foreign Office said the comments were “private, informal comments” and “not any reflection” of the government’s position, according to the BBC.

Haaretz similarly reported that the Foreign Office said the remarks “do not reflect the U.K. government’s position.”

CNN said Turner made the comments privately to a group of British students visiting the US in the same month he was appointed, and it described the remarks as potentially overshadowing the royal visit.

Multiple outlets also tied the timing to heightened political friction, with the BBC noting “heightened tension over the Iran war” and CNN saying the comments could make Charles’ state visit “uncomfortable.”

Alongside the “special relationship” comments, Turner also discussed the Jeffrey Epstein scandal and its impact on senior figures in the United States and in Britain.

BBC reported that Turner said it was “extraordinary” that the Epstein scandal “had ‘not touched anybody’ in the US,” while it had “brought down” former prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Turner’s predecessor in Washington, Lord Peter Mandelson.

CBS News

CNN likewise said Turner told students it was “extraordinary” that the Epstein scandal “hasn’t touched anybody” in the US, and it contrasted that with his claim that senior British figures had been “brought down.”

The Guardian reported that Turner told students it was “extraordinary” that the Epstein scandal “hasn’t touched anybody” in the US, while it had “brought down” Mandelson and “potentially the prime minister.”

In the same Guardian account, Turner described Keir Starmer as having been “pretty clearly on the ropes” and said his future had looked “quite touch and go” over the fallout from the scandal.

Turner also speculated about political consequences, telling students, “The moment I would look to is the May elections,” and adding, “If Labour does very badly … I suspect the party will be able to go over that threshold and remove him.”

Across the outlets, the Foreign Office response remained consistent: the BBC said the remarks were “private, informal comments,” and CNN quoted a Foreign Office spokesperson saying they were “private, informal comments” and “certainly not any reflection of the UK Government’s position.”

The Foreign Office sought to contain the fallout by insisting the remarks were not government policy, while senior political figures and former diplomats reacted sharply to the leaked audio.

“Britain’s ambassador to Washington has said that the only country that has a “special relationship” with the United States is “probably Israel,” not Britain, in leaked comments which could overshadow King Charles III’s state visit underway in the US this week”

CNN

BBC reported that the UK Foreign Office said the “private, informal comments” were “not any reflection” of the government’s position, and it described the comments as “awkward timing” because they emerged during the royal visit.

In BBC’s account, former foreign secretary Jack Straw told BBC Radio 4’s The World Tonight that Turner was “absolutely right” to say Israel has a special relationship with the US, adding that “The United States subsidises Israel's military spending” and that “alone makes the relationship special.”

BBC also quoted former British ambassador Lord Darroch calling the leaked audio a “betrayal” and “massive breach of trust,” and it reported Darroch said he was “hard to see anyone disagreeing with any of it” about Israel.

The Guardian described a Foreign Office spokesperson saying: “These were private, informal comments made to a group of UK sixth-form students visiting the US in early February. They are certainly not any reflection of the UK government’s position.”

Politico framed the issue as “risk red faces back in London,” and it said Turner criticized the American political system for failing to hold U.S. associates of Jeffrey Epstein to account and made “indiscreet remarks” about Starmer’s future.

The Hill reported that Turner’s comments were made in February and that the remarks could overshadow the state visit, while also noting that the king was set to address a joint meeting of Congress on Tuesday at 3 p.m. EDT.

Different outlets emphasized different aspects of the same leaked remarks, even when they quoted the same core lines about Israel and the “special relationship.”

The Guardian foregrounded Turner’s candidness and the political context around Peter Mandelson, describing Turner as having taken office in February to replace Mandelson and saying the remarks were “embarrassing for Downing Street” because they emerged in the same week as the king’s state visit.

Haaretz

CNN focused on the potential discomfort for the royal visit and described the remarks as “leaked comments which could overshadow King Charles III’s state visit underway in the US this week,” while also quoting Turner’s line about Israel and his critique of the Epstein scandal.

The Independent framed the episode as likely to exacerbate “growing animosity” from the Trump administration toward Downing Street, and it tied Turner’s comments to the weeks running up to the launch of the US-Israeli war on Iran on 28 February.

Middle East Eye similarly described the remarks as “a significant embarrassment to the British government,” while also quoting Turner’s line that the phrase “special relationship” was “quite nostalgic, it’s quite backwards looking, and it has a lot of baggage about it.”

The Times added a more detailed discussion of the term itself, quoting Sir Nigel Sheinwald on Times Radio that “What he was getting at was that the phrase ‘special relationship’ needs some discussion and needs some unpacking.”

Across these framings, the shared factual backbone remained Turner’s leaked audio to students, the Foreign Office’s insistence on “private, informal comments,” and the repeated line that the “special relationship” was “probably Israel.”

The leak landed as King Charles III and Queen Camilla continued their state visit in Washington, with multiple outlets describing how the remarks could complicate the week’s diplomacy.

“Current section The ambassador to the U”

Haaretz

BBC said the remarks were first reported by the Financial Times shortly before King Charles III arrived at the White House during his state visit to the US, and it noted the visit was happening “at a time of heightened tension over the Iran war.”

Middle East Eye

CNN said the comments could overshadow the royal visit and described that Turner’s remarks were made public as Charles and Queen Camilla were greeted by US President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump at the White House.

The Hill reported that the king was set to address a joint meeting of Congress on Tuesday at 3 p.m. EDT, and it described Trump’s remarks at the White House touting the “unique bond” between the U.S. and U.K.

Politico described Charles’ speech after Trump, quoting that “Our people have fought and fallen together in defense of the values we cherish across the ocean and from coast to coast,” and it also quoted Trump’s state dinner remarks about the defense relationship, including that the two nations share “unconquerable courage.”

In parallel, the political fallout in Britain remained tied to Turner’s speculation about Keir Starmer, with The Guardian quoting Turner’s view that “The moment I would look to is the May elections,” and Middle East Eye saying Turner believed Labour could “remove” Starmer after the local elections on 7 May.

Taken together, the sources portray a diplomatic week in Washington where Turner’s leaked remarks about “probably Israel” and the Epstein scandal intersect with the timing of the king’s visit and the political calendar around May elections.