Dividing lines Politically they are polar opposites, so what can they agree on?

Boris Johnson’s first trip to meet President Joe Biden in Washington saw the prime minister on a charm offensive in his attempts to nurture the special relationship, despite their political differences.

Biden has been sceptical about Johnson, partly over his comments in 2016 claiming Barack Obama removed a bust of Churchill from the White House because of “the part-Kenyan president’s ancestral dislike of the British empire”.

But since Biden came to power, the two men have struck a cordial tone, finding common ground on the Aukus defence pact and the climate crisis, though dividing lines between the US Democrat and British Conservative remain.

Climate

Johnson has made clear he wants to galvanise action towards a successful Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow in November – a goal shared by Biden. In particular, the UK was hoping for progress towards the target of $100bn in climate finance for developing countries, set more than a decade ago.

Biden announced yesterday he was doubling the US’s contribution, to $11.2bn, a pledge welcomed by Johnson as a “very good start” that took them “a long way towards the goal”. With many countries yet to announce fresh emissions reduction targets, and no confirmation China’s president, Xi Jinping, will attend the summit in person, Biden and Johnson are likely to discuss how best to secure a deal that keeps a 1.5C limit on global heating within reach.

While their politics are radically different, Johnson has stressed that both men would like to spark a “green industrial revolution,” tackling the climate crisis while creating hundreds of thousands of jobs in clean energy.

Afghanistan

The fraught withdrawal from Afghanistan raised profound questions about the relationship between the US and the UK, with London apparently kept in the dark about Washington’s intentions at key moments. Johnson had to publicly lobby Biden to allow more time for the evacuation to take place – a request that fell on deaf ears. The two men are likely to have focused on how to deal with the new Taliban government and whether a humanitarian crisis in the region can be averted.

Geopolitics

The US, UK and Australia blindsided allies around the world by announcing Aukus, a defence and security alliance for the IndoChina region. France reacted with fury, withdrawing its ambassadors from Washington and Canberra for consultation – pointedly leaving out the UK, which it has dismissed

as the “fifth wheel” in the alliance. Johnson is keen to show the pact is more than an attempt to placate Washington, and reflects the UK’s strategic interests. Biden is hawkish on China, and eager for the world’s democracies to form fresh alliances – he will host a virtual “Leaders’ Summit for Democracy” in December.

Travel

Downing Street had been frustrated by the US travel ban applying to the UK and many other countries, lobbying for change. But it appeared to be caught unawares by Monday’s announcement that the US would lift the travel ban that applies to the UK and many other countries. Fully vaccinated people will be able to travel to the US without quarantining, but key details remain ambiguous, including whether the US will accept the AstraZeneca vaccine and whether children will be exempted.

Johnson was expected to press Biden on these questions yesterday. The UK has sought to claim some of the credit for the change of policy, pointing to a bilateral travel taskforce that has met since the summer, but the new regime applies equally to scores of countries.