Biden reveals special relationship to Nottingham
US President Joe Biden has spoken of his surprising family links to Nottingham during his visit to Northern Ireland.
Of all the topics the 46th American President was expected to bring up in his speech at Ulster University in Belfast yesterday it is fair to say Nottingham was not one.
After cracking a few jokes, Mr Biden recalled his relationship with a former UK ambassador to the United States. The 80-year-old said the ambassador would pull his leg about his surname being English rather than Irish, and gave him a book with an English ‘Captain George Biden’ on the front.
Mr Biden also said he found out that a relative of his in the 1800s had written the rules of mutiny for the British Navy.
He then went on to explain that he and his sister had found that the origins of his middle name were not what they seemed.
“My middle name is Robinette, I thought for all those years it was French but it must have been Huguenots because they came to Great Britain in the 1700s somewhere along the way, and they’re all from Nottingham,” he said. “So I don’t know what the hell’s going on here. Can you come back? It’s confusing.”
Mr Biden was speaking at the start of a tour of the island of Ireland which marks the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
RISHI Sunak has said the relationship between the UK and the US is in “great shape”, after meeting with US President Joe Biden during his brief visit to Northern Ireland.
The length of the visit, which saw Mr Biden arrive late on Tuesday before departing on Wednesday afternoon for the Republic of Ireland, had been seen by some as low key, with the Prime Minister also not attending the president’s afternoon address at Ulster University.
The Prime Minister, who spoke to broadcasters after a 45-minute meeting with Mr Biden at a hotel in Belfast city centre, stressed the closeness of the transatlantic relationship as he pointed to the shared vision for progress in Northern Ireland.
Mr Sunak pointed out that it was the fourth time that Mr Biden had visited the UK since becoming president, adding that this particular trip was a reminder of the US contribution to the peace process.
“We spoke in particular about the incredible economic opportunities that are there in store for Northern Ireland and we talked about the investment potential that is there, the companies that want to invest in Northern Ireland,” he told broadcasters.
“I think that is incredibly exciting, it will bring growth, jobs and prosperity to Northern Ireland and I know he shares my ambition to see the institutions here back up and running, that is what people and businesses in Northern Ireland deserve.”
The meeting, on the upper floors of the Grand Central Hotel, had been described by Downing Street as a bilateral. A No 10 spokeswoman said the two leaders discussed the “wider relationship” between the UK and the US, alongside the lack of powersharing in Northern Ireland.
Mr Sunak said the two countries were “very close partners and allies”, adding that both leaders discussed economic investment in Northern Ireland as well as foreign policy issues.
“That comes on the back of a meeting I had with him last month in the US, I’m seeing him again next month at the G7 and then I’m going to Washington in June; we’re very close partners and allies, we co-operate on a range of things, whether that’s supporting Ukraine or economic security,” he said.
“I think actually the relationship is in great shape, and the president and I have lots that we’re working on together.”