by Xinhua writer Zheng Bofei
LONDON, March 1 (Xinhua) -- British Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrapped up his Washington visit early this week with mixed results: while U.S. President Donald Trump signaled Britain could escape EU-related tariffs amid ongoing negotiations and accepted King Charles III's state visit invitation, he did not offer Britain any commitments regarding European security guarantees or a stronger bilateral relationship.
The visit came amid growing concerns in Britain over Washington's unpredictable policies. Starmer had hoped the trip would move the "special relationship" from strength to strength, but the future of the transatlantic alliance remains uncertain, subject to U.S. decisions.
Just days before Starmer's arrival, the Trump administration had threatened 25-percent tariffs on all goods imported from the EU, a few days after French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Washington.
When asked during a joint press briefing after their meeting on Thursday whether Starmer had convinced him to avoid additional levies on Britain, Trump said, "He tried ... I think there is a very good chance that in the case of these two great friendly countries, I think we could end up with a real trade deal that ... where the tariffs wouldn't be necessary. We'll see."
Rather than a finalized agreement, the conditional language in phrases like "we could end up" and "we'll see" left Britain's tariff reprieve dependent on future negotiations, rather than guaranteeing a clear policy outcome.
On bilateral ties, rather than moving from "strength to strength," as hoped by Starmer, Britain's special relationship with the United States seems to be stumbling from one temporary fix to the next.
Politically, the Labor Party now stands as one of the few left-leaning governments in the Western world, as Britain's European peers have experienced electoral upheavals, bringing more right-wing parties into power.
The ideological divide was evident on Thursday, when U.S. Vice President JD Vance directly confronted Starmer, accusing Britain of "infringements on free speech" that "affect not just the British but also American technology companies and, by extension, American citizens."
The British prime minister was forced to respond immediately by saying, "About free speech in the UK, I'm very proud of our history there."
A news scan done by The Guardian newspaper found that, in contrast to the relatively positive reception in Britain, Starmer's trip barely "made a splash" across the Atlantic. The British "special relationship" is seen more as a strategic asset than a core priority in Washington.
"The UK is in an impossible position where, on the one hand (it is) desperate to maintain the special relationship," said Max Bergmann of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. But on the other hand, "Europe is moving in a different direction."
Former U.S. National Security Council member Eric Ciaramella acknowledged Britain's ability to influence Washington. "The big question is: Are we in the same paradigm still with Trump as we were with Biden?" ■
