Boris Johnson has his first phone call with new President Joe Biden

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.’ 

How Winston Churchill’s bond with America created the free world  

Winston Churchill was instrumental in forming the special relationship between the US and the UK that has helped form the modern Western world and democracy as we know it.

From helping to persuade the United States that freedom was worth fighting for in World War Two, to his famous speech warning of the dangers of the ‘Iron Curtain’ descending across Europe – Churchill is undoubtedly history’s greatest Anglo American.

The legendary leader-to-be was born to an American mother – socialite Clarissa Hall – who he came to regard as his political mentor and she instilled in him an affinity for the US that would prove crucial.

The UK’s special relationship with the US dates back to the Second World War, as Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany was aggressively gaining ground across Europe, and endured through the Cold War and to this day.

America and its then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt was reluctant to join the war in Europe after the First World War ended in 1918, but Churchill worked to persuade his friend and US-counterpart to assist the UK.

Between 1939 (before Churchill even became Prime Minister) and 1945, Churchill and Roosevelt exchanged an estimated 1,700 letters and telegrams, and met in person another 11 times.

By 1941, the US joined the fight against the Nazis and their Japanese allies, and helped repel their advance towards Britain and back to Berlin, before they were finally defeated in 1945.

Under Roosevelt and Churchill, the UK started their joint work to established NATO, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

When Roosevelt died in 1945, shortly into his fourth term in office and months before the end of war, he was succeeded by his Vice President Harry Truman.

Churchill and Truman also developed a strong relationship, with Churchill acting as a strong supporter of Truman, calling him ‘the type of leader the world needs when it needs him most.’

Churchill himself lost an election in 1945, but resumed the roll of UK Prime Minister after a second election victory six years later in 1951, where Churchill and Truman – who had maintained their relationship even as Churchill was out of office – reunited as leaders of the two allies.

In 1946, Churchill was even invited by Truman to visit the US to deliver a speech at Westminster College in Truman’s home state of Missouri. The speech would become known as the ‘Iron Curtain’ speech, which highlighted the schism forming between the Soviet Union and western allies.

Churchill’s relationship with the US continued when Dwight Eisenhower assumed office in 1953, with the pair being familiar with one another from their time as leaders during the Second World War.

In 1963, Churchill was given an honorary U.S. citizenship by President John F. Kennedy.

It was the first time that Congress had resolved that an honorary citizenship be bestowed by the President of the Unites States on a foreign national, after only Marquis de LaFayette had previously been given an honorary citizenship.

Kennedy praised Sir Winston as a defender of freedom, wartime leader, orator, historian, statesman and an Englishman at a ceremony in the White House rose garden, watched by Churchill from his home in the UK.

The President’s opening remarks became an iconic tribute to Churchill and one of his greatest achievements.

‘He mobilized the English language and sent it into battle,’ Kennedy said, in reference to Churchill’s leadership of the UK in the Second World War.

In 1963, after receiving the honorary citizenship from the US, he said: ‘I am, as you know, half American by blood, and the story of my association with that mighty and benevolent nation goes back nearly ninety years to the day of my father’s marriage.

‘In this century of storm and tragedy I contemplate with high satisfaction the constant factor of the interwoven and upward progress of our peoples. Our comradeship and our brotherhood in war were unexampled. We stood together, and because of that fact the free world now stands.’

Churchill never criticised America publicly. Asked in 1944 if he had any complaints, he said ‘Toilet paper too thin, newspapers too fat.’