Since entering office in early July, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has begun to chart a foreign policy path away from that of his predecessor, Rishi Sunak. What this foreign policy might look like will be foremost on the agenda when Starmer meets President Joe Biden at the White House on Friday.

On some issues such as the war in Ukraine, Starmer’s approach is ‘steady as she goes.’ But on other concerns such as those relating to China and the Middle East, Starmer clearly wants to shake things up. Here, he is showing a tentative willingness to separate U.K. foreign policy from that of its special relationship partner, the United States. This reflects an important truth. Namely, that while the U.S.-U.K. relationship is centered in enduring and extensive intelligence/military cooperation, London and Washington adopt different strategies in some key areas.