Boris Johnson wants to rebrand the ‘special relationship’ with US

Boris Johnson says he wants to rebrand the ‘special relationship’ between Britain and the US the ‘indestructible relationship’ after first meeting with Joe Biden

  • Boris Johnson met Joe Biden for the first time yesterday ahead of the G7 summit
  • Mr Johnson dislikes the term ‘special relationship’ and has suggested a rebrand
  • He suggested the US-UK alliance could be known as ‘indestructible relationship’ 

Boris Johnson has suggested rebranding the ‘special relationship’ between the US and the UK the ‘indestructible relationship’ following his first meeting with Joe Biden

The Prime Minister is not a fan of the historic phrase, with reports this week suggesting he believes it makes Britain seem ‘needy and weak’.

Speaking after bilateral talks with Mr Biden in Cornwall yesterday ahead of the formal start of the G7 summit, Mr Johnson said the alliance between the two nations has been a ‘guarantor of peace and security for a long time’. 

He said he would be happy to call it a ‘deep and meaningful relationship’ or even an ‘indestructible relationship’. 

Boris Johnson has suggested rebranding the ‘special relationship’ between the US and the UK the ‘indestructible relationship’ following his first meeting with Joe Biden

Speaking after bilateral talks with Mr Biden in Cornwall yesterday ahead of the formal start of the G7 summit, Mr Johnson said the alliance between the two nations has been a 'guarantor of peace and security for a long time'

Speaking after bilateral talks with Mr Biden in Cornwall yesterday ahead of the formal start of the G7 summit, Mr Johnson said the alliance between the two nations has been a ‘guarantor of peace and security for a long time’

The term ‘special relationship’ to describe the links between the UK and the US moved into the mainstream after it was coined by Winston Churchill in a speech in 1946.  

Speaking at Westminster College in Missouri, Churchill said that preventing war and ensuring ‘the continuous rise of world organisation’ would only be achieved through the ‘fraternal association of the English-speaking peoples’. 

‘This means a special relationship between the British Commonwealth and Empire and the United States,’ he said. 

The Atlantic magazine reported earlier this week that Mr Johnson told aides he disliked the phrase after it was used by Mr Biden in a phone call between the pair. 

Mr Johnson insisted in an interview with the BBC ‘I don’t mind the phrase’ but suggested he would be happy with a rebrand. 

He said: ‘But you know, it encompasses a reality which is that the UK and the US have a real congruence of views on some stuff that really matters to the world. 

‘And so we believe very strongly in, in democracy, we believe in human rights, we believe in the rules based international order, we believe in the transatlantic alliance. Joe Biden believes in that absolutely passionately. 

‘And we want to uphold that. We think it’s been the guarantor of peace and security for a long time.’

Pushed on how he would describe the alliance, Mr Johnson said: ‘We also happen to share objectives on tackling climate change and loads of other things. 

‘So it’s a relationship, you can call it the “deep and meaningful relationship”, whatever you want, the, the “indestructible relationship”. 

‘It’s a relationship that has endured for a very long time, and has been an important part of peace and prosperity both in Europe and around the world.’