Sir Christian Turner Speaks at Greater Together LA

It's wonderful to be here at Greater Together LA , and it's fitting that we're gathered here in the storytelling capital of the world. Alfred Hitchcock, that great British master of suspense, directed dozens of movies in this city, and he said all great films begin with a story that may be improbable, but never banal, and must be dramatic, and above all, human.

And I think that is a perfect description of the great redemption story between the UK and the US, which has all the right ingredients. What began in conflict 250 years ago has been forged into one of the deepest, closest alliances in history. It's a pretty good sequel.

I am contractually required to be a little bit disobliging about the French, and it's probably only we Brits who could celebrate that defeat in 1776. Hitchcock also said, always make your audience suffer as much as possible. And I have a confession. If I wasn't a diplomat, I'd like to be a professional singer. It is true that my last gig was on stage at the Albert Hall. I'm not a good enough singer, but with such talents here today, don't worry, I'm not going to grab a microphone.

The first thing I want to say is huge thanks to everybody for joining us. It's an incredible programme. Over 500 leaders and entrepreneurs, the most dynamic companies across the United Kingdom and the United States, the largest ever trade delegation to land on American soil. We are clear: the British are coming, the British are here, and this time we mean business.

You've heard the list of the partners who are working with us, can I also ask you to thank the fantastic team at GREAT , and also here at the Consulate General in LA, who've done such a fantastic job to put all this together.

So, with that, let me just set the scene for the UK-US economic corridor.

It's a volatile world. Leaders, business leaders, political leaders are feeling the uncertainty, the rising protectionism, the concerns for long-term alignments between nations. And we should be honest, there are voices on both sides of the Atlantic who have doubts.

We also meet at a time when economic shocks originating from conflicts from Europe to the Middle East are hitting households and business costs, especially energy affordability.

Today, growth, security, and resilience are inseparable. This is business as usual, and I believe that the choice before us is not about rupture or division, it's about, as the King was just saying, how we renew, modernise, and stay connected with our allies in Europe and the United States.

Why? Because, as His Majesty said on the state visit, resilience comes from partnership, not from insulation. Trusted partnerships in all the sectors represented here today matter more than ever.

So, as you would expect from the British Ambassador, I am here to bang the drum for Britain. If there is one message I want to land with you today, is that I am not a declinist about the UK, nor about this extraordinary UK-US relationship.

For the UK's part, despite global headwinds, our economy had the fastest growing economy in the G7 for the first quarter of 2026. We remain one of the world's most open, stable, and connected economies, underpinned by a modern industrial strategy designed for a new era that has attracted over $335 billion across 8 sectors.

We are Europe's startup and innovation engine. Global CEOs consistently rank the UK as Europe's top destination for investment. We are home to four of the world's top 10 universities, producing cutting-edge research from AI to life sciences.

Our trillion-dollar tech sector is the third largest tech ecosystem globally, behind the US and China, and we have the most unicorns in Europe, with more venture capital raised in 2025 than France, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland combined.

The barriers to investment are being systematically addressed and dismantled. So, for example, the administrative burden on businesses will be reduced by 25% by the end of this Parliament. We estimate infrastructure projects are being approved at record pace, with assets such as data centres now benefiting from fast-track processes.

We have a new Energy Independence Bill announced just recently, which will accelerate homegrown power that we can control to power our digital economies as part of an affordable diversified energy system. All of that puts business as the bedrock of the US-UK relationship, one of the most integrated trusted in the world. My background is in national security, but this is absolutely at the centre of my agenda as Ambassador.

We've already discussed the State Visit, which I have to say felt a little bit like a special live action episode of The Crown, but it was all about the 250th anniversary of our people-to-people links, and I couldn't put it better than His Majesty. Our partnership is foundational, it is enduring, it is consequential, and it brings great value to Brits and Americans alike. And it is being driven by decisions that all of you are making in your business and your working lives day to day, not necessarily by public servants like me.

Our bilateral trade now exceeds $430 billion annually, growing at about 4% boosted by our trade deal with preferential tariffs on key sectors in both directions, and just an agreement two weeks ago during the state visit on a removal of whisky tariffs. I hope you can raise a glass later tonight.

We have, as you've heard, over $1.7 trillion invested in each other's economies. We, the UK, are the largest foreign investor in 21 states, and US FDI into the UK has doubled over the past decade. All of that supports millions of jobs on both sides of the Atlantic.

I could cite examples: GSK investing $30 billion into US research and development, using AI to revolutionise drug discovery. US tech company Core Weave investing $1.5 billion into an AI cloud deployment in Scotland.

Universal Studios, in a roller coaster period, do you like what I did there, investing in a new theme park in Bedford, creating 28,000 jobs and £50 billion of economic value. And just today, California financial AI and digital firm Communify announcing expansion into the UK. I think all of those deserve a round of applause.

Although I am based on the east coast, it's an incredibly important message about the breadth and depth of relations across this amazing country, and I can't think of a better place to have hosted this Greater Together summit in California, where the world comes to invent the future.

Britain has been, for the past 2 years, the top foreign investor in California by jobs created, but we can't rest on our past glories. The King spoke of renewing our alliance writing the next chapter of our joint prosperity.

That's why we signed an memorandum of understanding with California this year to collaborate on clean energy technology, and why I am so focused on the UK-US Technology Partnership, the first of its kind, the Technology Prosperity Deal, which brings together our tech, science, and research ecosystems for AI, quantum, and civil nuclear partnerships.

It's these foundations which will ensure that we have ever greater heights in our ambitions and ensure that innovation improves the daily lives of our citizens.

Now, I could talk about sport, wishing California every success as it prepares to welcome the world, hosting the World Cup and the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2028. And can we just agree to call it football for now, please? It'll be much easier for all of us!

I talk about connectivity. These people to people links that are like the oxygen in the bloodstream of our relationship.

California is the US's leading state for visits to Britain, accounting for 15% of the estimated 5 and a half million Americans expected to travel to the UK this year. We have, as the UK, the highest transatlantic airline capacity, nearly double the next closest country pair, and around 250 flights operating daily between our 2 nations.

I could come on to the creative industries which are very well represented. 66% of tourists, my friends at Visit Britain tell me, say that British film or TV influences their decision to visit the UK. It all adds up to generating billions in spending and strengthening the ties between our 2 countries.

So, in conclusion, ladies and gentlemen, let me return to the spirit of 1776, a vintage year for revolutionary thinking inspired by the British Enlightenment. There was that bold declaration of independence that I won't dwell on, but 1776 also gave us another work that changed the course of history, The Wealth of Nations by Scottish economist Adam Smith.

Smith's idea was simple but radical: prosperity grows when ideas, goods and people can move and connect freely. That principle is as relevant today as it was 250 years ago. So, let's make the most of our precious time together here.

You will get a sense from me that I'm not here to keep a seat warm. I have a sense of urgency, and I have a sense of purpose. We mustn't rest on our laurels, we must be ambitious, and the word I took away from last night's wonderful reception was catalyst. How we can all in our conversations be catalysts for something bigger and greater.

Every working minute that I'm in this job, I will strive to advance this extraordinary relationship. Because when the UK and US combine our talent, our capital, and our ambition, we don't just watch the future unfold, we write the script. Thank you very much.