Boris Johnson and Joe Biden have sparked renewed optimism of a strengthened special relationship between the UK and the US after they stepped up their efforts to solve the Ukraine crisis.
The Prime Minister and US President held a 40 minute phone call last night to discuss the situation.
Mr Biden is said to have told Mr Johnson at the end of the conversation that 'we're not going anywhere without you pal'.
The comment will boost hopes of a further improvement in relations between London and Washington DC after tensions over the withdrawal from Afghanistan and Brexit.
It comes days after a new book claimed that Mr Biden's mother hated England so much that she chose to sleep on the floor rather than in a bed at a hotel where the Queen once stayed.
Boris Johnson and Joe Biden have sparked renewed optimism of a strengthened special relationship between the UK and the US after they stepped up their efforts to solve the Ukraine crisis
Mr Biden is said to have told Mr Johnson at the end of their phone call last night that 'we're not going anywhere without you pal'
Mr Johnson reportedly told Mr Biden during last night's call that the UK wanted to do everything it could to resolve the Ukraine crisis.
Sources told ITV News that the US President responded by saying 'we’re not going anywhere without you pal'.
Downing Street said the two men had 'agreed to remain in close contact' as the situation in Ukraine continues to evolve.
A Number 10 spokeswoman said: 'They agreed there remained a crucial window for diplomacy and for Russia to step back from its threats towards Ukraine.'
The leaders also 'agreed that western allies must remain united in the face of Russian threats'.
The US-UK special relationship has been put under strain in recent years, most notably over the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Mr Johnson had asked Mr Biden to delay the US exit last August in order to provide more time for humanitarian airlifts.
But Mr Biden stuck to his hard deadline of August 31 as all remaining US forces left the country and the UK followed suit.
The fact that the UK's request was dismissed prompted some MPs to question whether British foreign policy was at a 'crossroads' after decades of being interwoven with that of the US.
There have also been tensions related to Brexit, with Mr Biden having been opposed to the UK leaving the EU.
A trade deal with the US had been held up by Brexiteers as one of the main prizes of Brexit but hopes of a pact being struck in the near future have faded.
Liz Truss, the Foreign Secretary, said in October last year that a trade deal with the US was not the 'be all and end all' as she refused to commit to an agreement being completed by 2030.
The White House has made clear a trade agreement with Britain is not an immediate priority for Mr Biden.
Mr Johnson met Mr Biden in person for the first time at the G7 summit in Cornwall in June last year.
The PM suggested at the time that the special relationship should be rebranded as the 'indestructible relationship'.
There had been fears the two men would not get along, with Mr Biden previously describing Mr Johnson as 'a physical and emotional clone' of Donald Trump.
Democratic sources had also questioned whether Mr Johnson was an 'ally' of Mr Biden after the latter was elected in November 2020.
A new book recently revealed that Mr Biden's mother hated England so much that she chose to sleep on the floor rather than in a bed at a hotel where the Queen once stayed.
Screenwriter Georgia Pritchett was invited to meet Mr Biden, then vice president, at the White House while carrying out research for the American TV comedy series Veep.
Mr Johnson met Mr Biden in person for the first time at the G7 summit in Cornwall in June last year
Joe Biden discussed how much his mother Catherine Finnegan (both pictured in 2008), known as Jean, 'hated the English', telling a British screenwriter she had written poems on the matter, according to a book
She recalled in her autobiography, My Mess is a Bit of a Life, that Mr Biden initially spoke about Ukraine, from where he had just returned, but was advised to switch topics.
Noting that the screenwriter was British, he discussed how much his mother Catherine Finnegan, known as Jean, 'hated the English', telling her she had written 'hundreds' of poems on the matter.
He went on to recollect the time his mother, who was of Irish descent, travelled to the UK and spent a night in a hotel where she was told the Queen had once visited.
Referring to the hotel stay, Ms Pritchett wrote: 'She was so appalled that she slept on the floor all night, rather than risk sleeping on a bed that the Queen had slept on.'
She added: 'I admire anyone whose principles come between them and a comfy bed.'
Mr Biden is known for playing up his Irish heritage, having once written a letter in which he described himself as a descendant of an 'Irish American family that imbued in me a sense of pride that spoke of both continents'.
US President Biden can trace his Irish roots back to both the Blewitts from Co Mayo and the Finnegans from Co Louth
In November 2020 when he was on the campaign trail Mr Biden was asked by a journalist for a 'quick word for the BBC'.
Mr Biden replied 'the BBC? I'm Irish' before smiling and moving away.
The TV clip prompted Nigel Farage, the former leader of the Brexit Party and a prominent ally of Mr Trump, to claim that 'Biden hates the UK'.
Post a Comment