Boris Johnson will return from US energised despite achieving little

Analysis: tangible gains were hard to come by but PM will have enjoyed the up close and personal politics

Boris Johnson has flown back to the UK after his transatlantic jaunt reassured about his personal relationship with Joe Biden after the pair sought to put the chaos of the Kabul airlift behind them with face-to-face talks in the Oval Office.

The warm personal rapport that characterised Johnson’s relationship with Donald Trump – who called him “Britain Trump” – was not obviously on display as he and Biden briefly addressed the press before retiring for private talks. Biden told an involved anecdote about travelling more than a million miles on Amtrak, which US reporters revealed he has wheeled out on several other occasions.

Once the press had been forcefully ushered out by White House media handlers, however, witnesses said the pair held constructive talks. They discussed expanding the Aukus pact – announced last week – into a broader alliance that could cover other areas of shared interest, including safeguarding human rights, technology and expanding open markets.

And on Capitol Hill, Johnson took the opportunity to try to soothe concerns about the operation of the Northern Ireland protocol, saying he remained committed to the Good Friday agreement.

But news that the UK has all but abandoned hopes of a bilateral free trade agreement with the US underlined the fact that to bond with Biden, Johnson has had to trim his ambitions to fit the president’s agenda.

The arch dealmaker Trump used to boast about the prospects for a trade agreement with the UK, but Biden has a packed legislative agenda at home that will take precedence over trying to win congressional backing for a complex set of trade negotiations.

As well as taking on China – essentially the purpose of the Aukus pact – the two countries are both committed to tackling the climate crisis, and in doing so, creating more green jobs in their own economies.

Johnson’s hopes of securing a successful outcome to the Cop26 climate summit in November that keeps 1.5C of warming within reach took a significant step forward when Biden doubled the US’s contribution to climate finance. When the prime minister met Biden’s vice-president, Kamala Harris, they were able to agree that the $11.2bn US climate pledge made it, as Johnson put it, “a great day for the world”.

Other tangible gains from the visit were harder to come by: Johnson said he had won the backing of the president to lift the ban on British lamb exports, though consultations are ongoing and no formal decision has yet been announced.

No 10 was also keen to claim credit for the lifting of the US travel ban, claiming a bilateral “travel taskforce” that has been operating since the summer had helped to change the Americans’ minds. But the changes apply equally to scores of countries.

The UK government appeared to have had little warning that the decision would be announced on Monday morning, and was left scrambling to establish the details, including whether AstraZeneca jabs would be accepted under the new system.

But Downing Street will be happy to bank the intangible benefits of a closer rapport with the US – and Johnson, no fan of Zoom calls, returns to the UK energised by three days of the kind of politics he likes best: up close and personal.

Contributor

Heather Stewart Political editor

The GuardianTramp

Related Content

Article image
Boris Johnson flies to New York to tighten transatlantic ties after strained summer
PM will hope signing of this week’s Aukus deal will help the allies move on from the chaos of Kabul

Heather Stewart and Dan Sabbagh

17, Sep, 2021 @3:28 PM

Article image
Boris Johnson phones to congratulate Joe Biden and discuss 'close' relationship
Prime minister tweets that US and UK share priorities on climate crisis and Covid

Jessica Elgot, Julian Borger and Patrick Wintour

10, Nov, 2020 @9:17 PM

Article image
Can Boris Johnson expect UK-US trade deal to go ahead?
His closeness to Trump has not helped and if agreement were struck by 2024 it would be considered rapid progress

Larry Elliott

22, Sep, 2021 @5:26 PM

Article image
Biden win plus no-deal Brexit could leave Johnson in a 'lonely place in the world'
PM urged to recognise pursuit of no-deal Brexit would be regarded as serious error by US

Patrick Wintour Diplomatic editor

08, Nov, 2020 @3:58 PM

Article image
Joe’s reality check: sure you’re World King, Boris – but only of England
Prime minister’s bluster meets real world as promised post-Brexit trade deal fails to materialise

John Crace

22, Sep, 2021 @5:35 PM

Article image
Boris Johnson prefers not to use term ‘special relationship’, says No 10
Spokesperson confirms PM not a fan of phrase recently used by Joe Biden to describe ties between UK and US

Peter Walker Political correspondent

07, Jun, 2021 @2:13 PM

Article image
Boris Johnson calls Trump impeachment over Capitol attack 'kerfuffle'
Prime minister touts Covid co-operation with Biden, who once called him a ‘clone of Donald Trump’

Martin Pengelly in New York

14, Feb, 2021 @4:01 PM

Article image
From climate to Covid rules: how Johnson and Biden match up
Analysis: the two leaders have found common ground in some areas, though dividing lines remain

Heather Stewart Political editor

21, Sep, 2021 @6:46 PM

Article image
Brexit rains on Boris Johnson’s G7 parade
Analysis: Northern Ireland row dashes Johnson’s hopes of greeting world leaders as PM of a newly emboldened and nimble UK

Heather Stewart Political editor

10, Jun, 2021 @2:45 PM

Article image
Boris Johnson talks tough before US trade talks
PM maintains that NHS is not on the table and animal welfare standards won’t drop

Rajeev Syal

01, Mar, 2020 @10:00 PM