Prime Minister Keir Starmer left MPs in stitches at Prime Minister's Questions after a brutal jibe at Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey, mocking him as the 'man in the wetsuit' over his enthusiasm for water sports stunts. The Commons chamber erupted in laughter, leaving Sir Ed waiting awkwardly until it quietened before he could respond.
The exchange began when Sir Ed grilled Mr Starmer on leaked comments from US ambassador Sir Christian Turner, who reportedly said the only special relationship the US has is with Israel and that the scandal over former ambassador Peter Mandelson nearly ended Mr Starmer's tenure. Sir Ed asked if the PM feared having to fire a second ambassador for telling the truth, after sacking Mandelson for lying.
Mr Starmer dismissed the comments as 'the least of my problems' and accused Sir Ed of joining a Tory bid to refer him to a parliamentary sleaze inquiry over the Mandelson affair. He said: 'I expect frivolous accusations from the leader of the Opposition. Clearly, I was wrong to expect anything better than from the man in the wetsuit.'
According to the Financial Times, Sir Christian said he disliked the phrase 'special relationship' for UK-US ties, calling it 'nostalgic' and 'backwards-looking', and suggested Israel is the only country with a special relationship with the US. However, he acknowledged the deep defence and security ties between the UK and US.
The remarks come at a sensitive time for US-UK relations, already strained over the Iran war fallout, and as King Charles begins a historic state visit to America.
