Boris Johnson is reportedly unlikely to highlight the strength of the “special relationship” with American president Joe Biden because the prime minister does not like the expression.
Downing Street said Johnson “prefers not to use the phrase” but is instead intent on fostering a “close relationship” with Washington.
A profile of the prime minister in American magazine The Atlantic suggests he told aides he does not like using the term because it seems “needy and weak”.
The White House has said Biden, on his first overseas trip as president, will meet Johnson for talks on Thursday, ahead of the G7 summit in Cornwall which begins on Friday.
Perhaps unaware of the prime minister’s dislike of the term, the White House said the visit will “affirm the enduring strength of the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom”.
Johnson’s official spokesman said: “The PM prefers not to use the phrase but that doesn’t detract from the importance with which he regards our relationship with the US.”
Biden will join leaders from the other members of the G7 group of leading economies in Cornwall for Friday’s summit.
It is also reported Biden is set to raise the importance of the Northern Ireland Protocol with the PM, with the president warning its success is key to a US trade deal.
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