Swipe at American foreign policy puts Brown on the spot

13 April 2012

The PM heads for Washington after a close Cabinet ally took a swipe at U.S foreign policy

International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander risked damaging the transatlantic "special relationship" by suggesting there would be a shift in relations with the White House under a Brown Government.

Downing Street announced that Mr Brown will fly to Washington this summer for his first talks since becoming Prime Minister.

But the symbolic visit is likely to be overshadowed by suggestions that he will distance himself further from Tony Blair and refuse to be seen as the President's "poodle".

Washington reacted coolly, predicting the new partnership of Mr Brown and President Bush would be "forthright".

But the comments were all the more inflammatory as they were made in Washington, in the first overseas speech by a member of the new Cabinet.

Now the Prime Minister's chief of staff, Tom Scholar, wrote to every Cabinet minister emphasising that Britain's ties with the U.S. represent the "single most important bilateral relationship" the UK has.

Sources insisted the letter was not intended as a "slap-down" to Mr Alexander.

Mr Alexander had said a nation's strength was in what it could build, not what it could "destroy" through wars like Iraq.

He said Britain would form "new alliances" which were not isolationist and would "reach out to the world" - in a veiled criticism of President Bush's one-track unilateralist foreign policy.

International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander suggested there would be a shift in relations with the White House under Brown

Downing Street immediately tried to contain the damage by claiming it was "extraordinary" to suggest Mr Alexander had criticised Washington.

Mr Brown's spokesman said that claiming they cast doubt on the "special relationship" was nonsense and the Prime Minister insisted the strong relationship would continue.

Since taking charge two weeks ago, Mr Brown has held three telephone conversations with President Bush.

Yet Mr Brown has already made clear there will be a change of tone by appointing a fierce critic of the Iraq war, former UN deputy chief Sir Mark Malloch Brown, to his front bench.

Significantly his first foreign visit is not to Washington, but dinner with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Monday.

Shortly after he was backed for the Labour leadership in May, Mr Brown said his foreign policy would be based on a "new multilateralism" and that the U.S. could not count on Britain's automatic support.

Mr Alexander said: "In the 20th century a country's might was too often measured in what they could destroy.

"In the 21st century strength should be measured by what we can build together. And so we must form new alliances, based on common values, ones not just to protect us from the world but ones which reach out to the world. A new alliance of opportunity."

An aide to Mr Alexander described his speech as challenging the U.S. to "form new policies and priorities to face new challenges".

U.S. ambassador to London, Robert Tuttle, told BBC Radio 4's World At One: "This relationship between your new Prime Minister Brown and our President will continue to develop and continue to be a very strong and very forthright one."

Mr Brown said: "The relationship between Britain and America is based on one thing - we share the same enduring bonds of the importance of liberty, opportunity and the dignity of the individual.

"I will continue to work, as Tony Blair did, very closely with the American administration.

"Where there are controversies and crises, it's very important to emphasise that the relationship between the British Prime Minister and the American President will be strong and we will continue to work together."

• America should pull most of its combat troops out of Iraq by next April, the House of Representatives said yesterday.

Its vote calls for the Pentagon to begin withdrawing troops within four months and came despite President Bush's threat to veto any timetable.

Democrats controlling the House are hoping to pressure the Senate to approve a similar timetable.

It is the third time this year that the House has voted in favour of legislation to end U.S. military involvement in Iraq.

One previous legislative push was vetoed by Mr Bush, while a second failed when the Senate twice voted against imposing a withdrawal timetable.

The latest attempt would allow some U.S. forces to stay in Iraq to train the Iraqi army and carry out counter-terrorism operations.

"It is time for the President to listen to the American people and do what is necessary to protect this nation," said Senate majority leader Harry Reid.

"That means admitting his Iraq policy has failed, working with the Democrats and Republicans in Congress on crafting a new way forward in Iraq and refocusing our collective efforts on defeating Al Qaeda."

Earlier President Bush presented an interim report on Iraq which said there had been only limited military and political progress following his decision to send troop reinforcements earlier this year.

The security situation remained "complex and extremely challenging", the report said.

It also warned of "tough fighting" during the summer, saying Al Qaeda was likely to "increase its tempo of attacks".

But Mr Bush rejected calls for any withdrawal, saying it would be disastrous. He said troops would be withdrawn only when conditions were right, "not because pollsters say it'll be good politics".

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