The UK's relationship with the USA has never looked more fragile. So it's deeply worrying that Ed Miliband, a man who launched a vicious and childish tirade against US President Donald Trump, has been sent to Washington to patch things up.
Mr Trump is furious with Britain for failing to join his war against Iran, and believes America's NATO allies have taken his country for a ride. They've allowed US taxpayers to fund the defence of Europe instead of doing the job themselves, according to the President. At the same time, his tariffs have hurt British businesses.
Fragile Alliance
The President's erratic approach towards Ukraine, defending itself from a Russian invasion, has caused deep worry across Europe. It's not looking good. But we need the US. America is our biggest trading partner, and it's far and away our most important military ally.
But there have always been some people who looked down their noses at our cousins across the Atlantic. That includes a few snobbish right-wingers, pining for the long-gone British Empire, but most anti-American sentiment comes from the left.
Miliband's History with Trump
“Red” Ed Miliband was a classic example. He condemned Donald Trump as a “racist, misogynistic self-confessed groper”, when Mr Trump became President for the first time in 2016. And why not? Never mind that Mr Trump was the choice of the American public. It was the sort of comment that won approval amongst middle-class liberals, and Mr Miliband must have assumed he would never face any consequences for his words.
Now, he is travelling to the US for talks with Mr Trump's administration. The new Foreign Secretary is to meet US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss Ukraine and conflicts in the Middle East.
Political Calculations
What on earth led Andy Burnham to think appointing Ed Miliband as foreign secretary was a good idea? The answer is that the PM needed to offer Ed a consolation prize, after plans to make him Chancellor were scuppered by angry Labour MPs who knew Mr Miliband would be a disaster at the Treasury.
We had better hope that Mr Trump is willing to forgive and forget. The good news is that he might do just that. The US President has a surprisingly thick skin for someone with such a massive ego. He seemed to forgive former foreign secretary David Lammy, who once called Mr Trump “a woman-hating, neo-Nazi-sympathising sociopath” - but went on to have very good relations with the White House. Mr Lammy even became close friends with US vice-president JD Vance.
It remains to be seen whether Mr Miliband can pull off a similar feat. For the sake of the country, we must hope he does.
