Our Story
A shared history. A common future.
Before we talk about politics or policy, it's worth remembering something simple: Britain and America are family. Not in some abstract diplomatic sense, but in the most literal way possible. The people who founded America were British. The institutions they built were British institutions, adapted for a new world.
Where America Came From
The men who wrote the American Constitution weren't revolutionaries seeking to destroy British traditions - they were British subjects who believed those traditions were being violated. They quoted Blackstone and Locke. They appealed to the Magna Carta. They saw themselves as defending English liberty, not rejecting it.
The Declaration of Independence is, at its heart, a very British document. It argues that the colonists were entitled to "the rights of Englishmen" - rights they believed King George had denied them. The revolution wasn't about creating something entirely new; it was about preserving something very old.
What We Share
Consider what Britain and America have in common, and how unusual this is among nations:
Language. Not just the same words, but the same literature, the same humour, the same way of expressing ideas. Shakespeare is taught in American schools. American films play in British cinemas without subtitles. We understand each other instinctively in a way that translation can never quite capture.
Law. American law is built on English common law. The same principles - trial by jury, habeas corpus, innocent until proven guilty - underpin both legal traditions. American lawyers still cite English cases from centuries ago. The systems aren't identical, but they're recognisably related.
Values. Both nations share a deep belief in individual liberty, free expression, and democratic accountability. These aren't universal values - many nations organise themselves quite differently. But they're woven into the fabric of both British and American culture.
"An Englishman in America, or an American in England, is not quite abroad. There's a familiarity, a sense of being among one's own people, that exists nowhere else."
A Relationship That Already Exists
The "special relationship" is often dismissed as sentimentality, but the practical cooperation between Britain and America is remarkable. Intelligence sharing through Five Eyes. Integrated military planning through NATO. Coordinated foreign policy on most major issues. In many ways, Britain and America already function as close partners.
What we're exploring isn't really so radical when you think about it. It's simply asking whether a relationship that already exists - in culture, in law, in values, in practical cooperation - might benefit from a more formal arrangement.
An Invitation to Think Differently
We understand this idea will seem strange to many people at first. It challenges assumptions so deep we barely notice them. But assumptions can be questioned. Political arrangements that seem permanent do sometimes change.
We're not asking you to agree with us today. We're simply inviting you to consider the idea with an open mind. To ask whether the political separation of 1776 - nearly 250 years ago - still makes sense for the challenges of the 21st century.
Explore our other pages to understand why we believe now is the time for this conversation, and how such a union might actually work in practice.