The end of an era

The last Bush-Blair press conference marks the end of an era. However, close the relationship between Bush and Brown turns out to be—and I expect it will be closer than people expect—there won’t be the same level of bonhomie that there has been between these two. Nor will Gordon Brown speak American as fluently as Blair does.

But Brown starts the relationship with a lot of capital in the bank. Crucially, the Bush administration has grasped that Brown will need to something to show for being close to Bush—so expect something meaningful on education in Africa. There is also a recognition that pro-Americanism is no longer the default in British politics. In the run up to the Iraq vote in the Commons in 2003, Dick Cheney was relaxed about Blair losing on the grounds that the then Tory leader Iain Duncan-Smith was closer to his way of thinking. Washington now has a far better appreciation of the realities of British politics and the power of anti-Americanism in the country.