Every relationship has ups and downs, but the bond between Britain and America is weaker than at any point since the Suez crisis in 1956. Today another Middle Eastern waterway is the subject of the quarrel. Donald Trump is mostly to blame, but Britain needs to be honest about its own shortcomings, our leader argues.

Our editors on both sides of the Atlantic will discuss what went wrong for the alliance and what America’s allies can learn from it on today’s episode of The Insider, available from 6pm London time. Think of it as couples therapy.

Germany, meanwhile, is dealing with its own weaknesses. The country is embarking on a once-in-a-generation rearmament, and its top general wants to convince Germans that the huge cost is justified. It is “time to go public with what we are doing”, he tells The Economist.