Boris Johnson said he will focus on ‘a green and sustainable recovery from Covid-19’ with the US after his first phone call with Joe Biden.
The Prime Minister spoke to the newly inaugurated US President this evening, a day after Mr Biden called Canada and Mexico’s leaders, amid fears for the future of the Special Relationship.
Mr Biden spoke with his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau on Friday in his first call to a foreign leader.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador confirmed on Twitter that he and Biden had discussed topics ranging from Covid-19 to migration on the same day.
Boris Johnson said he ‘looks forward to deepening the longstanding alliance’ with the US after his
The Prime Minister spoke to the newly inaugurated US President this evening, a day after Mr Biden called Canada and Mexico’s leaders
Writing on his Twitter account this evening, Mr Johnson said he looks forward to continuing the US and UK’s longstanding alliance after the phone call.
He also emphasised the UK and US’s shared goal of emphasising sustainable policies as the countries bounce back from the coronavirus pandemic.
Mr Johnson said: ‘Great to speak to President Joe Biden this evening.
‘I look forward to deepening the longstanding alliance between our two countries as we drive a green and sustainable recovery from Covid-19.’
Downing Street said: ‘The Prime Minister spoke to Joe Biden, President of the United States this evening.
Mr Johnson emphasised the UK and US’s shared goal of emphasising sustainable policies as the countries bounce back from the coronavirus pandemic
‘He congratulated the President on his inauguration and the two leaders looked forward to deepening the close alliance between our nations.
‘The Prime Minister warmly welcomed the President’s decision to re-join the Paris Agreement on climate change, as well as the World Health Organization and the COVAX programme to ensure equitable access to vaccines.
‘They noted the significant challenges facing the world during the pandemic but also the unparalleled opportunities to build back better and greener together.
‘The Prime Minister praised President Biden’s early action on tackling climate change and commitment to reach Net Zero by 2050.
‘Building on the UK and US’ long history of cooperation in security and defence, the leaders re-committed to the NATO alliance and our shared values in promoting human rights and protecting democracy.
Writing on his Twitter account this evening, Mr Johnson he looks forward to continuing the US and UK’s longstanding alliance after the phone call
‘They also discussed the benefits of a potential free deal between our two countries, and our Prime Minister reiterated his intention to resolve existing trade issues as soon as possible.
‘The leaders looked forward to meeting in person as soon as the circumstances allow, and to working through the G7, G20 and COP26 this year.’
Trudeau and Biden made plans to talk again soon after their phone call yesterday, with Canada leaving open the possibility of a virtual or even in-person discussion,
The White House said only that ‘the two leaders agreed to speak again in a month.’
US President Joe Biden spoke with Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau and covered everything from the coronavirus pandemic, which has led to the closure of the US-Canada border since March, to environmental protections
The discussions, the Canadian statement said, would ‘advance the important work of renewing the deep and enduring friendship between Canada and the United States.’
Neither Washington nor Ottawa confirmed an exact date.
According to both countries, the leaders discussed Biden’s decision to cancel the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline, a project fiercely opposed by environmentalists but backed by Ottawa.
Upon taking office on Wednesday, Biden rescinded a permit for the pipeline via executive order, blocking completion of the project started almost a decade ago.
Trudeau had previously said it was ‘an important project for us,’ citing continental energy security and jobs, and reacted with disappointment Friday over its cancellation.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, pictured in December 2020, confirmed on Twitter that he spoke with new US President Joe Biden on Friday
‘The prime minister raised Canada’s disappointment with the United States’ decision on the Keystone XL pipeline,’ Trudeau’s office said in its statement, but added that the prime minister emphasized the ‘important economic and energy security benefits of our bilateral energy relationship.’
The 1,210-mile pipeline, starting in 2023, was to transport up to 830,000 barrels of oil a day from the Alberta oil sands to Nebraska and then through an existing system to refineries in coastal Texas.
Mexico’s Lopez Obrador wrote on Twitter that his discussion with Biden had been ‘friendly and respectful.’
‘We talked on issues related to migration, #COVID19 and cooperation on development and well-being. Everything indicates that relations will be good for the well-being of our peoples and nations,’ Lopez Obrador said.
The three countries form the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and binds nearly half a billion consumers in a single market that comprises about 27 percent of global GDP, in a region where trade hit $1.2 trillion in 2019 – though that was before the coronavirus pandemic hit.
Trudeau said prior to the call that the new administration represents an opportunity to turn the page on a challenging relationship with the US under Trump, who once labelled Trudeau as ‘dishonest’ and ‘meek.’
‘We are truly beginning a new era of friendship,’ he said.
The White House said the pair’s Friday phone call highlighted ‘the strategic importance of the US-Canada relationship’ while ‘reinvigorating our bilateral cooperation on an ambitious and wide-ranging agenda.’
It comes after the US Embassy was forced to respond to criticism over the removal of the Winston Churchill bust in the Oval office by posting a video defining the ‘Special relationship’ between Britain and America.
When President Joe Biden moved into the White House, his team redecorated the Oval Office, with the bust of Winston Churchill being removed.
The US Embassy in London’s Twitter account uploaded a video defining the Special Relationship between Britain and America in response to criticism of the removal of the Winston Churchill bust from the Oval Office
In the cheeky video, the Embassy shows an image of the Churchill bust, saying: ‘This is a bust of Winston Churchill’ before showing images of British and American soldiers standing side-by-side and pointing out that the two nations are the biggest investors in each other
The move mirrored a similar change made by President Obama in 2009 who also moved the former Prime Minister’s image from his office.
There were concerns raised about the removal of the bust, with Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform UK party, saying the removal showed the new US President will not be a ‘great friend’ to the UK.
But in response to the outcry over the bust, the US Embassy in London uploaded a video addressing the controversy with the caption: ‘We’ve seen some discussion about the Churchill Bust, so we just wanted to remind everyone what the Special Relationship is truly about.’
The video starts by showing a picture of the Churchill bust alongside a caption which reads: ‘This is a bust of Winston Churchill.’
It moves on to show describe how America and Britain are the largest investors in each others country.
Mr Biden revealed the new décor Wednesday as he invited reporters into his new office to watch him sign a series of executive orders hours after he took office. Framed pictures of his loved ones from left to right show the Biden family, late son Beau with his son Hunter in 2009, Biden and First Lady Dr Jill at the Home States Ball in 2009, a family picture of Joe, Jill and their children, a picture of the president with his daughter, the president’s three children
Additional images of British and American soldiers standing next to each other as well as a series of historical images of meetings between US presidents and British Prime Ministers.
The video ends on the image of the British and American flags alongside each other with the words: ‘The Special Relationship is about people, values & trust.’
Joe Biden’s new-look Oval Office has introduced several new busts, including civil rights leaders Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks and socialist Latino union leader Cesar Chavez who sits proudly behind the President’s chair.
The bust of Churchill that sat in Trump’s Oval Office had been loaned to the White House by the British Embassy, and its whereabouts are now unknown.
Responding yesterday to a question about the bust, Number 10 said: ‘The Oval Office is the President’s private office and it is up to the President to decorate it as he wishes.’