When did the US-UK ‘special relationship’ originate?

The relationship between the United States and United Kingdom has been under the spotlight in recent days, after US president Donald Trump called the UK’s 2025 deal to give the Chagos Islands to Mauritius and lease back a key military base as an “act of great stupidity”. But is this really a new low for the alliance? In this episode of HistoryExtra’s History Behind the Headlines: Briefing, Sam Edwards from Loughborough University looks back at its ups and downs. -----   GO BEYOND THE PODCAST For further historical analysis of the latest breaking news, don't miss HistoryExtra's History Behind the Headlines: ⁠https://play.megaphone.fm/vv4s-xn6tfmntfojkacmna⁠   And if you’ve enjoyed this episode, why not become a member of HistoryExtra for access to thousands of ad-free podcasts, hundreds of hours of video and a huge archive of articles from leading historians: ⁠https://www.historyextra.com/subscribe/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices