Tenuous. The UK did not need US approval to make all of its existing privacy-violating laws. Nor did Australia, or parts of the EU.
Don't get me wrong. The only thing holding the US government back from growing all the more monstrous is a patchwork of sketchy laws that might have teeth.
But I don't see any reason to assume that the stupidity of Brits is the fault of Americans. This time.
FWIW, the US govt does not have a back door into the encrypted data held by US companies. A US company is not obligated to create a way to decrypt customer data to respond to a court order.
So this is different, and worse. Not everything stupid in the world can be blamed on the US, as it seems you're trying to do. Plenty can! But not everything. Some stupid is home grown. See also: Brexit.
Don't get me wrong. The only thing holding the US government back from growing all the more monstrous is a patchwork of sketchy laws that might have teeth.
But I don't see any reason to assume that the stupidity of Brits is the fault of Americans. This time.