BORIS Johnson hailed US President Joe Biden as a “breath of fresh air” for the world after the Trump era as the new besties finally met in Cornwall yesterday.
The Prime Minister and his new wife Carrie kicked off Britain’s hosting of the G7 with a beachside love-in with the Americans.
Mr Biden even joked that Boris was punching above his weight following his marriage to Carrie last month.
He said: “We have something in common — we both married way above our station.”
Boris replied: “I’m not going to disagree with the President there . . . or indeed on anything else.”
Mr Johnson held an 80-minute face-to-face chat with his American counterpart in Carbis Bay, Cornwall — covering Covid, climate and the Chinese and Russian menace.
SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP
Meanwhile Carrie and First Lady Jill Biden bonded over tea.
Carrie and Boris’s baby Wilf even got his first foray into international diplomacy — stealing the show with his mop of blond hair just like dad.
Mr Biden later said of the leaders’ chat: “We affirmed the special relationship — that is not said lightly — the special relationship between our people and renewed our commitment to defending the enduring democratic values that both our nations share.”
Boris said “the talks were great” and “went on for a long time” as Britain stole the march on the rest of the world to be the first to meet Mr Biden in person since he took office in January.
In a dig at Mr Biden’s chaotic predecessor Donald Trump, Mr Johnson said: “It’s fantastic, it’s a breath of fresh air.”
And despite discussing a “huge range of subjects”, No 10 said there was not the feared row over Northern Ireland many were expecting.
The Johnsons and the Bidens cemented their new friendship with an exchange of gifts.
The Bidens gave cycle-mad Boris an American bike and helmet. Carrie was given a leather tote bag made by the wives of US troops, and a presidential silk scarf.
The PM gave Mr Biden a framed photo of a mural of Frederick Douglass — a former slave and US abolitionist leader who travelled to Britain and Ireland in the 1840s.
The First Lady was given a first edition of Daphne du Maurier’s The Apple Tree — a collection of short stories.
In the room, the pair discussed getting UK and US flights back in the skies and how to “build back better” together from the pandemic.
Together they vowed to donate 600 million Covid vaccine doses to the world.
Britain will hand over at least 100 million life-saving doses within the next year. The first five million jabs will be sent in the coming weeks. America said it will give away 500 million doses.
Over the coming days, G7 leaders are expected to donate a billion doses of the vaccine to less developed countries.
‘COMMON GROUND’
Mr Biden said Mr Johnson had led a “strong campaign to get people vaccinated across the UK”.
Meanwhile, despite fears of a row over Brexit, Mr Johnson last night insisted there was “absolutely common ground” over Northern Ireland.
The US President’s concerns over the way the UK Government is treating the terms of the deal with the EU threatened to overshadow the first meeting between the leaders.
But following the talks, Mr Johnson said he was “optimistic” the peace process would be kept going.
However, Mr Johnson did let rip over the case of Northampton teenager Harry Dunn.
He reiterated Britain’s desire to see justice after Anne Sacoolas, the wife of a US spy, fled under diplomatic immunity after the fatal 2019 crash.
Today Mr Johnson will sit down with Canada, Japan and Italy as the full summit gets under way.
In the evening he will deploy the Queen and Prince Charles, the Red Arrows and two of the nation’s finest chefs to woo world leaders in a lavish dinner at the Eden Project.
And the leaders and their wives will toast marshmallows on a fire pit while encouraged into a sea shanty singalong with Cornish band Du Hag Owr.
