Exploring Thatcher’s Legacy: How Her Alliance with Reagan Shapes Today’s US-UK Relations

The phrase “special relationship” has long characterized the bond between the United States and the United Kingdom, a term rooted in their collaboration during World War II against Nazi Germany. Many historians believe this bond was deeply cemented during the Cold War, notably through the collaboration between President Ronald Reagan and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

This week, a gathering of past and present diplomats, officials, and foreign policy experts took place in London to commemorate what would have been Thatcher’s 100th birthday. The event also served as a reflection on her significant partnership and friendship with the late President Reagan.

The alliance between Reagan and Thatcher established a model that has endured beyond political affiliations and leaders, even in times when the two nations confronted substantial disagreements.

On October 17, 2025, specialists gathered in London to examine how the collaboration between Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and President Ronald Reagan solidified the enduring U.K.-U.S. alliance. (Bettmann via Getty Images)

“They were akin to political soul mates, truly a natural alliance,” remarked Fred Ryan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, in an interview with Fox News Digital.

Ryan explained that their relationship was so successful, in part, because they had formed a relationship prior to either of them becoming heads of state, and they shared a mutual dedication to revitalizing their economies and countering communism. 

“I think the personal relationship made it more than just transactional – it made it something that was a kind of a relationship of exceptional trust in terms of what it’s done today,” Ryan, who also served as Chief of Staff to Reagan starting in the late 1980s, said. “Going forward, I think it’s set a great example.” 

Though the Reagan-Thatcher alliance is most known for pressing the Soviet Union, ardent anti-communist principles and ultimately ending the Cold War, experts this week in London argued that, perhaps more significantly, their partnership created a lasting obligation that future leaders would adhere to ensure the U.S.-U.K. partnership continued. 

At the closing ceremony for the Geneva Summit, Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and U.S. President Ronald Reagan face away from each other, Nov. 21, 1985 in Geneva, Switzerland.  (Bettmann via Getty Images)

Though the U.S.-U.K. relationship has not always run completely smoothly, like when conservatives took issue with the removal of a bust of Winston Churchill in lieu of a bust of Martin Luther King Jr., first during the Obama administration, then under President Joe Biden – both moves which were reversed by President Donald Trump – concern over the “special relationship” mounted following his election earlier this year. Actions he took upon re-entering the White House, including steep tariffs and a critical tone of NATO, had some worried he was favoring American isolationism.

But British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Trump have made significant efforts to keep the relationship positive. 

Trump has frequently referred to his mother’s Scottish roots as one reason he is fond of the U.K. and Ryan argued that the U.S.-U.K. partnership is also rooted in not only its shared history, but “built into the DNA” of both nations, dating back to the British colonies prior to the American Revolution. 

“[Both have] given extra weight to the special relationship, and it does appear to be something that they’re both working at,” Ryan said. “People have seen that Keir Starmer [and] Donald Trump have been able to build a good relationship. It’s an example for others to try to emulate.”

The U.S.-U.K. relationship is once again under the microscope, not only because of how different Trump and Starmer are politically, but because both nations face the greatest threat to the West since the Cold War, once again emanating from Moscow. 

President Donald Trump meets with Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left, and his wife Victoria Starmer at Trump Turnberry golf club on Monday, July 28, 2025, in Turnberry, Scotland.  (Christopher Furlong/Pool Photo via AP)

Both Thatcher and Reagan were able to form a strong relationship with the former and final leader of the Soviet Union, Mikhail Gorbachev, though the post-Cold War peace lasted for less time than the protracted geopolitical tussle following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. 

Trump has drawn raised eyebrows in his repeated attempts to diplomatically engage with Putin despite little to no action by the Kremlin chief to end his war ambitions. 

Security experts have questioned whether Putin is playing Trump by issuing platitudes and agreeing to meet with Trump in a show that outwardly placates the president’s desire to end the war, though taking no concrete steps to actually do so. 

Trump and Putin on Thursday again agreed to meet in person after first doing so in August in what were described as “extremely productive” talks. 

But what was accomplished from the meeting remains unclear as Russia increased its aerial bombardment on Ukraine rather than ceasing military operations following the talks. 

Though Starmer applauded the first attempt by Trump to meet with Putin, he has not yet publicly commented on the second meeting announced Thursday, and Fox News Digital could not immediately reach Number 10 for comment. 

Ryan noted there are many differences in the threat the U.S. and U.K. are facing this time around from Russia, but said, “I do think both sides realize the threat that Putin poses, and hopefully, through this close relationship that we’ve had, we can be united and allied in standing up to it.”