American politics is changing. On Capitol Hill and perhaps soon in the White House a new mood is taking root, an “America first” approach that scorns diplomacy and international co-operation. For the first time in a generation there is cause to wonder about the future of our special relationship with the US. This isn’t just about Donald Trump, who is openly sceptical about vital US alliances. Congress is currently opening the way for the US courts to be used against the British security services.

The Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (Jasta) that is making its way through Congress is not intended as an attack on MI5 or MI6, services that work so closely with the US intelligence community. The law was written with the intention of allowing US victims of terrorism to bring lawsuits in American courts against the government of Saudi Arabia and other nations whose state bodies could be accused of offering a blind eye – and even a helping hand – to sponsors of terror. The Senate has already passed it, leading the Saudi government to threaten to sell the $750 billion in assets it holds in the US.