London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 24, 2026

Johnson and Biden to pledge relaunch of US-UK air travel

Johnson and Biden to pledge relaunch of US-UK air travel

Boris Johnson and Joe Biden are to discuss the relaunch of US-UK travel following the pandemic as they meet ahead of the G7 summit.

The two leaders also said they will work to agree a new commitments on challenges including climate change and security, as well as on efforts to resume transatlantic travel.

The US President will meet the Prime Minister in Cornwall on Thursday on Mr Biden’s first overseas visit since entering the White House.

No immediate breakthrough is expected on resuming travel between the US and UK, which ground to a halt as the Covid pandemic hit.

However, the leaders are expected to agree to work to relaunch UK-US trips as soon as possible through a new taskforce which will make recommendations on reopening international travel.

The taskforce will be overseen in the UK by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and will be chaired by senior officials in the Department for Transport and their US counterparts.

Joe and Jill Biden arrive in the UK

The two leaders are set to agree a new Atlantic Charter to underpin shared commitments on pressing international issues.

But despite the close ties between the UK and US, the ongoing issues raised by Brexit in Northern Ireland have caused concern in the White House, with Mr Biden’s aides insisting that nothing should be done which puts the peace process at risk.

On the eve of the visit, Mr Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan said: “President Biden believes and has said that the Northern Ireland Protocol, as part of the agreement between the UK and the European Union, is critical to ensuring that the spirit, promise and future of the Good Friday Agreement is protected.”

Downing Street said the two leaders would reinforce their shared commitment to preserve the gains made by the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement in Northern Ireland.

Mr Johnson told reporters on Wednesday that resolving the dispute was “easily doable” and “what we want to do is make sure that we can have a solution that guarantees the peace process, protects the peace process, but also guarantees the economic and territorial integrity of the whole United Kingdom”.

The meeting of the two leaders comes on the eve of the G7 summit which will bring together the world’s wealthiest democracies at a time when the West faces difficult judgments in responding to the rise of China as an economic and political force and the destabilising actions of Russia.

As part of that process, the new Atlantic Charter will commit the UK and US to apply their combined strength to the enormous challenges facing the planet today, including global defence and security, “building back better” from coronavirus, and stopping climate change.

The original Atlantic Charter was a joint statement made by Winston Churchill and Franklin D Roosevelt in 1941, setting out the UK and US goals for the post-Second World War world.

Eighty years on, Mr Johnson – who dislikes the term “special relationship” to describe the transatlantic partnership – said the new agreement would underline that the UK and US remain “the closest of partners and the greatest of allies”.

Mr Johnson said: “While Churchill and Roosevelt faced the question of how to help the world recover following a devastating war, today we have to reckon with a very different but no less intimidating challenge – how to build back better from the coronavirus pandemic.

“And as we do so, co-operation between the UK and US, the closest of partners and the greatest of allies, will be crucial for the future of the world’s stability and prosperity.”

The agreements being made in Cornwall “rooted as they are in our shared values and outlook, will form the foundation of a sustainable global recovery”, he said.

“Eighty years ago the US president and British prime minister stood together promising a better future. Today we do the same.”

During their meeting the Prime Minister and president will also discuss ways of further enhancing the economic relationship, including through a resolution to the trade dispute around subsidies to Airbus and Boeing which led to tit-for-tat tariffs.

It is also expected that the leaders will agree to pursue a landmark bilateral technology agreement to be signed next year, aimed at reducing the barriers British tech firms face when trying to work with their US counterparts.

As the pandemic continues, the two leaders are expected to agree to scale up joint work on genomic sequencing and variant assessments, with expert agencies working together as part of an integrated global surveillance system.

The original Atlantic Charter was devised at sea on board the Royal Navy battleship HMS Prince of Wales and US heavy cruiser USS Augusta.

The modern namesake of HMS Prince of Wales, one of the Royal Navy’s two aircraft carriers, will sail along the coast of Cornwall to mark the occasion.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Key Trends to Watch
Government’s “Buy British” Procurement Push Targets More Domestic Jobs and Industrial Capacity
Scotland Launches Four-Year Flood Resilience Programme With New Community Funding
Low-Income Renters Face Record Gap Between Housing Support and Private Rents
UK and US Test Torpedo Launch From British Undersea Drone in Defence Technology Milestone
Britain Pushes Artificial Intelligence Security Onto United Nations Security Council Agenda
Treasury Committee Defends Office for Budget Responsibility Independence Amid Fiscal Pressure
Scotland Records Eleven Per Cent Rise in Drug-Use Deaths as Cocaine and Nitazenes Drive Concern
Welsh Government Sets Four-Year Programme Around Health, Living Costs, Jobs and Housing
Study Finds Most People With High Blood Pressure in England Remain Undiagnosed
Britain Plans First National Workplace Health System to Tackle Economic Inactivity
England to Introduce Vocational GCSEs in Major Secondary Education Reform
UK Elevates Climate and Nature Risks to National Security Priority
Andy Burnham and Donald Trump Put Trade at Centre of First Major Bilateral Meeting
Andy Burnham and Ursula von der Leyen Push Ahead With Closer UK-European Union Economic Ties
UK Government Borrowing Jumps to Eighteen Point Three Billion Pounds Ahead of October Budget
Piddington Residents Back Symbolic Independence Vote Over Asylum Accommodation Plan
Reform UK Names Helen Jenner as New Leader in Wales
England Expands Devolution of Transport, Skills and Economic Development Powers
Liberal Democrats Call for Temporary Fuel Duty Cut to Ease Cost-of-Living Pressure
UK Farmers Warn Drought Has Caused Crop Failures and Reduced Harvests
UK Fixed Mortgage Rates Approach 6% as Lenders Raise Borrowing Costs
YouGov Poll Puts Labour at 23% With Conservatives and Reform UK on 21%
Badenoch Presses Burnham to Increase Defence Spending and Cut Welfare Costs
UK Military Figures Warn of Growing Threats to Undersea Infrastructure and National Readiness
BP Moves Ahead With Sale of UK North Sea Oil and Gas Business
UK and ASEAN Endorse New Framework for Trade and Economic Cooperation
UK Consumer Confidence Falls to Three-Year Low as Borrowing Costs and Job Concerns Rise
UK Inflation Rises to 3.1% as Motor Fuel Costs Push Prices Higher
Bank of England Sets Multi-Year Plan to Wind Down Quantitative Easing Holdings
UK Borrowing Rises to £18.3 Billion in August Ahead of October Budget
Michelin Guide Faces Industry Questions Over Restaurant Inspection Coverage
English Woodlands Face Renewed Weather Stress From Dry Conditions and Strong Winds
Research Finds Extensive Alcohol, Gambling and Unhealthy Food Branding During 2026 World Cup
Five Charged After Newborn Baby Dies From Stab Wounds in Sheffield
BT Could Reap £2 Billion From Recycling Copper as Full-Fibre Network Expands
FCA Urges Young Adults to Trace £1.5 Billion in Unclaimed Child Trust Funds
Reform UK Names Helen Jenner as New Leader in Wales After Dan Thomas Steps Down
Resolution Foundation Calls for Broad-Based Tax Rises to Fund Higher UK Defence Spending
Ed Davey Calls for Global Treaty to Halt Development of Super-Intelligent AI
Scotland Consults on Legal Price Caps for Essential Foods
NHS Productivity Reforms Could Prevent More Than 20,000 Early Deaths a Year, Report Says
United Kingdom and ASEAN Deepen Trade and Investment Cooperation
United Kingdom Deploys RAF Refuelling Support to Saudi Arabia After Houthi Attacks
UK Fiscal Headroom Shrinks as Higher Borrowing Costs Complicate Autumn Budget
UK Public Borrowing Jumps to £18.3 Billion in August, Raising Pressure Before Budget
Andy Burnham Reaffirms UK Net-Zero Target With £30 Million Community Energy Fund
Scottish Labour Leader Backs Rosebank and Jackdaw North Sea Projects
UK Consumer Confidence Falls to Three-Year Low
UK Diesel Prices Approach £2 a Litre as Global Supply Shortages Intensify
×