MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Johnson congratulates Biden and pledges not to undermine the Good Friday Agreement

PM Johnson said he looked forward to “strengthening the partnership” between the US and UK

United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson has congratulated Joe Biden on his US election win. Mr Biden called the PM ahead of the leaders of other major European countries.

PM Johnson said he looked forward to “strengthening the partnership” between the US and UK. He is also understood to have assured Mr Biden that Brexit would not undermine the Good Friday Agreement on peace in Northern Ireland.

In a statement, Biden's office said he had “reaffirmed” his support for the Good Friday Agreement, which his Democratic predecessor in the White House, President Bill Clinton, played an instrumental role in bringing about.

It said he had also expressed his desire to strengthen the historic “special relationship” between the two countries and “redouble co-operation” on issues of mutual concern, including health security and promoting democracy.

The media declared Mr Biden the election winner on Saturday after he passed the threshold of 270 electoral college votes.

But counting is ongoing in some states, with incumbent President Donald Trump disputing many of the results.

A Downing Street spokesperson said the prime minister had “warmly congratulated” Mr Biden and “conveyed his congratulations” to Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris.

“They discussed the close and longstanding relationship between our countries and committed to building on this partnership in the years ahead, in areas such as trade and security - including through Nato,” the No 10 spokesperson added.

“The prime minister and president-elect also looked forward to working closely together on their shared priorities, from tackling climate change, to promoting democracy, and building back better from the coronavirus pandemic.”

The Prime Minister invited the president-elect to attend the COP26 climate change summit that the UK is hosting in Glasgow next year. They also looked forward to seeing each other in person, including when the UK hosts the G7

The 25-minute conversation came amid concerns that Mr Biden's previously stated dislike of Brexit - which Mr Trump, by contrast, supported - could strain relations.

It's understood Mr Johnson and Mr Biden discussed the importance of implementing Brexit in a way that upholds the Good Friday Agreement.

Mr Johnson assured the President-elect that would be the case.