Is the relationship still special? Rishi Sunak will woo Joe Biden over trade, AI and military cooperation in White House talks TODAY – but ex-ambassador bemoans lack of ‘warmth’ between them and poll finds Brits believe US president prefers the EU
Rishi Sunak is preparing to woo Joe Biden over trade and military cooperation in talks at the White House today.
The PM will meet the US president in the Oval Office on his first visit to Washington, with economic issues and Ukraine high on the agenda.
Mr Sunak has put a lot of effort into improving Transatlantic ties, with the Special Relationship seen as having been battered by rows over Norther Ireland Brexit rules.
However, there still appears to be no immediate prospect of a trade deal – which was very much on the cards when Donald Trump was commander-in-chief.
Former UK ambassador to the US Lord Darroch has voiced concerns that ‘for all the inevitable smiles and pats on the back’ there ‘doesn’t look to be much real warmth in the Anglo-American relationship’.
A poll for MailOnline shows that Brits regard Mr Biden as more pro-EU than pro-UK, although he is also rated more favourably than his predecessor.
![Rishi Sunak](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/06/08/09/71902023-12172963-image-a-20_1686211960938.jpg)
![Joe Biden](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/06/08/09/71902027-12172963-image-m-19_1686211957620.jpg)
Rishi Sunak (left) is preparing to woo Joe Biden (right) over trade and military cooperation in talks at the White House today
![A poll for MailOnline shows that Brits regard Mr Biden as more pro-EU than pro-UK, although he is also rated more favourably than his predecessor](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/06/08/09/71902075-12172963-image-a-21_1686211975532.jpg)
A poll for MailOnline shows that Brits regard Mr Biden as more pro-EU than pro-UK, although he is also rated more favourably than his predecessor
The president was accused of a series of ‘anti-British’ snubs when he visited the island of Island recently, spending just a few hours in Belfast before a lengthy stay in the Republic – where he often boasts of having heritage.
Downing Street has secured an early win by getting Mr Biden to agree to hold a rare joint press conference this evening after the talks.
Mr Sunak will try to forge a joint stance with Mr Biden on AI, after declaring that the UK will host a major summit on the tech in the coming months.
He could also take the opportunity to push for Defence Secretary Ben Wallace to be handed the job of leading Nato when secretary general Jens Stoltenberg steps down at the end of September. Mr Biden has been pictured cosying up to Mr Wallace’s likely Danish rival.
En route to Washington DC, Mr Sunak told reporters that a trade deal was not happening any time soon.
‘I think that for a while now, that has not been a priority for either the US or UK,’ he said.
‘Because what we’re both focused on is making sure that our economic partnership reflects the particular challenges and opportunities of the time that we’re in right now.
‘And that is the conversation that I will be having with President Biden. That involves not just trade but also economic security, which is increasingly important, but when it does come to trade, you know, what we have been doing with the US are looking at specific and targeted ways to improve trade between our countries.
‘It’s also worth saying that we already have an unbelievably strong trading relationship with the US. I mean, we’re the largest investors in each other we employ over a million people in each other’s countries.’
Mr Sunak said the UK-US trading relationship is ‘already worth hundreds of billions of dollars’ and is growing.
‘There’s lots of things for us to discuss, but I think it’s important that our economic relationship reflects the particular challenges and opportunities at the time were in.’
Asked if a free trade deal was an unrealistic promise, Mr Sunak replied: ‘All I said is since I’ve been Prime Minister, we’ve been focused, as have the US on making sure that our economic partnership reflects the opportunities and challenges of the time that we face now.’
It had been hoped that Mr Sunak’s ‘Windsor Framework’ with the EU on post-Brexit rules for Northern Ireland might clear an obstacle to a free trade deal with America.
Mr Biden had frequently intervened over Britain’s bitter row with Brussels over the Northern Ireland Protocol prior to the signing of the Windsor Agreement.
But the US President has previously made clear that a free trade deal was not a priority, and progress has stalled since he replaced Donald Trump in the White House.