In association with the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission and the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Executive Summary
Across three days of discussion, the dialogue examined the evolving character of the UK-US partnership in the year celebrating ‘America 250’, the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States. Discussions framed the relationship as both historically resilient and currently fragile, with long‑standing cooperation confronted by new uncertainties in domestic politics, contested value frameworks, and shifting global power dynamics. These factors suggest a need for bilateral strategies that are confident, adaptive and grounded in a realistic reading of political, social and technological change.
Soft power remains a vital pillar of bilateral cooperation, but one that requires intentional stewardship. While UK cultural and educational assets retain global resonance, meaningful influence in the United States now depends on reaching younger, more diverse and digitally‑native audiences. Expanded educational exchanges (‘intellectual capital’ investment), investment in cultural and sports diplomacy, and greater engagement with and between under‑represented communities, including those with disabilities, could help to achieve this. Concerns were raised that soft power institutions in both countries face structural pressures and funding challenges that may limit long‑term impact unless new cross‑sector models are built.
Technology cooperation – spanning AI, quantum, semiconductors, space and climate‑tech – was repeatedly identified as a central strategic opportunity. Both countries possess complementary strengths: the UK offers agility, world‑class universities and innovation ecosystems, while the US contributes scale, capital and global reach. Yet issues such as regulatory divergence, energy supply and data centre capacity pressure, and geopolitical competition around supply chains, could be managed proactively to preserve the strategic edge of the partnership.
A core theme throughout the dialogue was the rising importance of subnational engagement and diplomacy. The future of the UK-US relationship will increasingly depend on subnational partnerships, including state‑level, regional and city‑level partnerships. These ties – rooted in universities, civil society, business clusters and diaspora networks – are emerging as stabilising assets capable of sustaining cooperation even during periods of divergence.
Looking forward, there were calls for sustained, multi‑layered strategic engagement across the key themes that reinforced people‑to‑people (‘human capital’) pipelines, enabled subnational leadership, renewed investment in soft power, and positioned the UK and US as technology partners, with strengthened resilience in an increasingly multi‑aligned geopolitical environment.