PM and President to meet in White House

JOE BIDEN is expected to host Boris Johnson at the White House next week as the two leaders seek to move beyond the contentious Afghanistan withdrawal.

The US President will welcome the Prime Minister to Washington DC after Mr Johnson speaks at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, it is understood.

It follows a virtual appearance by Mr Johnson at the White House on Wednesday evening for the announcement of a trilateral partnership, known as Aukus, in which the US and UK will help Australia to develop nuclear-powered submarines.

As he watched Mr Johnson speaking on a screen, Mr Biden smiled broadly and said he “looked forward to seeing you in person, very soon I hope”.

The meeting will be part of a busy week of diplomacy for Mr Biden as he also prepares to host the leaders of Australia, Japan and India at the White House on Friday. Britain was among the most vocal of US allies in criticising Mr Biden’s decision to abruptly draw down forces in Afghanistan.

The President is seeking to refocus the attention of his allies on the growing global influence of China.

One senior US administration official said: “Great Britain is very focused on the concept of ‘global Britain’ and their tilt is about engaging much more deeply with the Indo-pacific, and this [Aukus] is a down payment on that effort.”

The official said discussions about Aukus had taken months of “very deep” talks at the highest military and political levels, among the “people closest to our leaders”.

Mr Johnson’s visit is part of a flurry of upcoming trips by members of the cabinet, including the Chancellor, Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary.

It is being seen as a way of bolstering the special relationship between the two nations in the wake of the Afghanistan withdrawal and comments made about Northern Ireland by Mr Biden.