Joe Biden and Boris Johnson to hold an in-person meeting in Cornwall
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US President Joe Biden will meet in-person for the first time on Thursday in Cornwall, ahead of the UK-hosted G7 Leaders’ Summit starting on Friday. The leaders are expected to agree to a new “Atlantic Charter”, modelled on the historic joint statement made by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Franklin D Roosevelt in 1941 setting out their goals for the post-war world, Downing Street said.
The original Atlantic Charter included landmark agreements, leading directly to the creation of the United Nations and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). ‘The 2021 Atlantic Charter is designed to echo those values and cover new partnerships, including a new Travel Taskforce for renewed US-UK exchanges.
The principled commitments made in the new Atlantic Charter will be underpinned by a series of new policy priorities expected to be agreed by the two leaders ahead of the formal G7 deliberations.
These include working to open up travel between the UK and US as soon as possible. “Many people in the UK and US have been prevented from seeing family and friends for over 400 days as a result of coronavirus travel restrictions. Before the outbreak of coronavirus more than 5 million Brits visited the US and over 4.5 million Americans visited the UK every year more than any other country,” Downing Street said.
“The agreement will start a new era of strategic cooperation by reducing the barriers British tech firms face when trying to work with their US counterparts. By combining our shared expertise in areas like AI and quantum technology, the UK and US have the potential to transform the way we live,” Downing Street said.
The two leaders are also set to agree several new policy priorities to underpin the charter, spanning travel, trade, post-Brexit issues in Northern Ireland and defence.
