Joe Biden calls Boris Johnson in second diplomatic call as President-elect
Boris Johnson has scored a diplomatic victory by being the second world leader to speak to President-elect Joe Biden since his victory in the US election.
The pair spoke for 20 to 25 minutes from 4pm, after Biden made his first call to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau yesterday.
Biden reportedly then rang French President Emmanuel Macron at 5.30pm.
Johnson tweeted: “I just spoke to Joe Biden to congratulate him on his election.
“I look forward to strengthening the partnership between our countries and to working with him on our shared priorities – from tackling climate change, to promoting democracy and building back better from the pandemic.”
There had been speculation that Biden may be frosty toward the Prime Minister for Johnson’s perceived allegiances with Trump, his role in the Brexit campaign and comments he made about Barack Obama in 2016.
Johnson said Obama’s decision to remove a Winston Churchill bust from the Oval Office was a display of the “part-Kenyan President’s ancestral dislike of the British empire”.
Before the Open newsletter: Start your day with the City View podcast and key market data
However, the early call to Johnson may quell some of this speculation.
In a statement about the call, a Downing Street spokesperson said: “They discussed the close and longstanding relationship between our countries and committed to building on this partnership in the years ahead, in areas such as trade and security – including through Nato.
“The Prime Minister and President-elect also looked forward to working closely together on their shared priorities, from tackling climate change, to promoting democracy, and building back better from the coronavirus pandemic.”
Biden is famously proud of his Irish heritage, still has many family connections on the emerald isle and has talked about the need to maintain peace in Northern Ireland.
The former Vice President tweeted two months ago that Johnson will not be able to close a UK-US trade deal under a Biden administration if he breaks the Belfast Good Friday Agreement.
He was referring to Johnson’s Internal Market Bill legislation, which will break the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement as it pertains Northern Ireland if no post-Brexit trade deal is done.
Brussels has claimed the bill puts the Northern Ireland peace agreement in jeopardy.