Boris Johnson finally receives call from Joe Biden

Boris Johnson on the phone in Downing Street - Credit: Andrew Parsons/10 Downing Street

President-elect Joe Biden has started to reach out to world leaders, with Boris Johnson finally speaking with the Democrat.

The American politician had been expected to prioritise calls with top European leaders, with French president Emmanuel Macron high on the list.

But Downing Street has insisted they were near the top of the calls list, with the pair speaking for 20-25 minutes and the call finishing around 4.30pm this evening.

The prime minister is said to have assured Joe Biden that Brexit would be implemented in a manner that upholds the Good Friday Agreement, according to a source, in an attempt to address the US president-elect’s concerns.

The No 10 source said: “They talked about the importance of implementing Brexit in such a way that upholds the Good Friday Agreement, and the PM assured the president-elect that would be the case.”

Johnson said on Twitter: “I just spoke to Joe Biden to congratulate him on his election. I look forward to strengthening the partnership between our countries and to working with him on our shared priorities – from tackling climate change, to promoting democracy and building back better from the pandemic.”

Responding to the tweet, Labour’s shadow justice secretary David Lammy posted: “Promoting democracy?

“You should start by condemning your best mate (Donald Trump) for his attack on the US people’s right to have their votes counted. Late would be better than never.”