OUR new and inexperienced Defence Secretary, Gavin Williamson, should be wary of compliments from his US counterpart, Jim Mattis, who recently advised him that the UK and the US are united against Russia.

We think we’ve got a ‘special relationship’ with the US. Unfortunately, it works just one way – their way!

The US was late coming into both world wars and took up the cudgels only when it suited their national self-interest.

Whilst we supported their avoidable wars in Korea, Afghanistan, and Iraq (twice), the US stymied Britain’s Suez campaign and offered no military personnel to help the UK in the Falklands conflict.

Britain should maintain good relations with the US, but we must make it abundantly clear that Albion is no longer the poodle of perfidious Uncle Sam.

We should resist pressure from the US to force us into wars that are neither just, winnable, nor in our national interest.

In addition, we should try to use the illusory ‘special relationship’ to moderate US hostility to Russia, which still has the second largest nuclear arsenal on the planet.

Steve Kay, Redcar & Cleveland Councillor