As one special relationship falters, another may beckon. The British vote to leave the EU could hasten a changing of the guard among Washington’s European allies, with Germany replacing the UK as its most important partner.

In the immediate aftermath of the Brexit vote, the White House has gone out of its way to emphasise the enduring links that will remain between the US and the UK. “One thing that will not change is the special relationship that exists between our two nations,” US President Barack Obama said on Friday.

But Mr Obama has less than seven months left in office and much will depend on the attitude of his successor. The reality is also that even before the British referendum on June 23, the US had increasingly been looking to Germany, and to a lesser extent France, as its go-to ally in Europe — and that process is likely to accelerate as London’s influence in the region diminishes.