Top British diplomat says US has 'special relationship' with Israel in leaked audio

The British ambassador to Washington says the only country that has a "special relationship" with the United States is "probably Israel".

The comments by Christian Turner, published in the Financial Times, threaten to overshadow King Charles' visit to the US this week.

Turner, who was appointed to the prized diplomatic post in February to replace the Jeffrey Epstein-linked Peter Mandelson, made the remarks privately to a group of British students visiting the US in the same month.

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"Special relationship' is a phrase I try not to utter because it's quite nostalgic, it's quite backwards looking, and it has a lot of sort of baggage about it," Turner said in a leaked audio recording.

"I think there is probably one country that has a special relationship with the United States – and that is probably Israel."

The term "special relationship" was coined by British statesman Winston Churchill, the country's prime minister during World War II who built a close and effective partnership with ally America under president Franklin Roosevelt.

Over the ensuing decades, it has been so characterised on both sides of the Atlantic.

King Charles' speech to the US Congress today (AEST) weighed heavily on the "special relationship", referencing the strong military, economic and cultural links forged between the US and Britain.

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Turner made his remarks to the students before the US and Israel launched military strikes on Iran.

He also told them Britain's links to the US were "so strong".

"There is a deep history and affinity between us. Particularly on defence and security, we are intertwined."

A spokesperson for the UK Foreign Office that Turner's remarks were "private, informal comments" not intended to become public.

"They are certainly not any reflection of the UK Government's position.".

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Turner also compared the differences in the handling of the Epstein scandal in Britain and the US.

He told the students he thought it was "extraordinary" that the fallout "hasn't touched anybody" in the US. By contrast, he said, senior British figures – including Mandelson, his predecessor, and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor – had been "brought down" by the affair.

Mandelson and Mountbatten-Windsor are both under investigation by UK authorities over alleged misconduct in public office.

Both have previously denied any wrongdoing related to Epstein, and the presence of a person's name in Epstein-related files is not indicative of wrongdoing.

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