The Rest is Classified: The Special Relationship and Intelligence Sharing

This was strengthened further following the 9/11 attacks and the ensuing War on Terror. The urgency to thwart such plots led to the “relationship becoming increasingly close, at all levels”, according to Savill. While there have always been policy disagreements between the UK and US, Savill clarifies, the friction between the US government and its own intelligence community is new. In an article published last year, Savill argued that following the purge of numerous US intelligence leaders at the beginning of the Trump administration, countries like the UK would “need to consider the US a less reliable intelligence partner”.