There was speculation that Johnson’s successor also disliked the phrase, which was adopted by Churchill in one of his most important post-war speeches in 1946. But last night Downing Street sources said Mrs Truss was relaxed about using the phrase and had even used it during her leadership bid. In a speech as foreign secretary last year, Ms Truss stressed that Britain’s relationship with the US was “special but not exclusive”, stressing that “there are other allies”. Ms Truss was also reported to have questioned the validity of the term during one of her first meetings as foreign secretary with Anthony Blinken, her US counterpart. The White House said Biden had had a “frank” discussion about the Northern Ireland Protocol, with the US president insisting it was kept and it was a matter of “personal importance”. But officials later said Biden did not use a potential trade deal to threaten Ms Truss over Northern Ireland.
