Since this calamitous Iran war began, there’s been endless talk in Britain about our ‘special relationship’ (often capitalised) with the United States. People who declare this relationship to be important are almost always those who also believe that, come what may in the war, we British should stand shoulder to shoulder with Donald Trump. Those, on the other hand, who think we should distance ourselves from him, tend to disparage the special relationship as unimportant.

This column therefore breaks new ground. I think the special relationship is very important. But I don’t believe we should stand shoulder to shoulder with this president. Our special relationship is with America. Mr Trump is not America. There is an America with which we should stay very close and with which our relationship is longstanding and precious. Trump represents everything that’s inimical – and corrosive – to that America.

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I love the United States. I spent two years there at Yale. It’s a great country with great people. I loved the energy, the openness, the spirit of liberty and opportunity that, to me, America seemed to represent. I responded to what I believed our two nations especially shared: an iron-clad respect for the rule of law, for constitutionality and for freedom under the law.

So I want us British,........

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