Jack Straw: Drop fiction of the special relationship

The "special relationship" between America and Britain is a fiction that should be dropped, former foreign secretary Jack Straw said today.

Attacking the "ridiculous neurosis" surrounding the phrase, he called for an approach that reflected the hard-headed realities of Anglo-US relations.

"Like any close friends we should talk and offer our strong and frank views in private always and sometimes in public," said Mr Straw. "But we should not imply this conceit, this fiction, that we have the special relationship' with the US."

The phrase was coined by Winston Churchill who spoke of a special relationship between Britain and its former colony and took on a powerful significance during the Cold War when Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan used it regularly to describe their close alliance.

However, other leaders have struggled to live up to the expectations. Gordon Brown's trips to the US were overshadowed by the impression that his keenness to impress President Obama was not reciprocated.

The former prime minister was embarrassed when his attempts to arrange a personal meeting during a UN summit were blocked, forcing him to conduct talks in the kitchen of the United Nations building.

Mr Straw said Germany and France had similar clout in Washington but British leaders were uniquely judged on how much "face time" they had with the president.

David Cameron recently described Britain as a "junior partner" in the relationship, a move that was seen as an attempt to adopt a more hard-headed approach.