Vance's chilling racism will test our diplomatic mettle

Let’s start with the basics. The UK and the US have a special relationship.

- SAYEEDA WARSI

They are our most important ally in the world, and they should be our most trusted ally. And that means that when we agree, we do so very publicly, and when we disagree, we do so behind closed doors. Every aspect of our relationship – from our intelligence sharing to our military cooperation, from our political ties to our diplomatic work – should be done in an environment of mutual respect.

What Donald Trump’s appointment of JD Vance as his running mate for vice-president has done is put that special relationship at risk. Last week, before he was announced to be running on Trump’s ticket, the Ohio senator gave a speech at the National Conservatism Conference in Washington DC in which he described Britain as the world’s first “truly Islamist country” to have nuclear weapons, thanks to the new Labour government.