Boris Johnson and President Biden to agree 'new Atlantic Charter'
President Biden will be in Cornwall for the G7 Summit this week
Last updated 24th May 2022
On Thursday Prime Minister Boris Johnson and President Joe Biden will meet in Cornwall for the first time, pledging to work together under a new Atlantic Charter.
It's ahead of the G7 Summit in Cornwall, starting on Friday.
The agreement is modelled on the historic Atlantic Charter of 1941, between Churchill and Roosevelt, during the Second World War.
The new charter will outline eight areas where the UK and US will work together after the pandemic; including committing to resuming UK-US travel, a landmark technology agreement to be signed next year, and preventing climate change.
The agreement will work towards moving on from Coronavirus and preventing future pandemics, by scaling up genomic sequencing and looking at variants.
Travel between the UK and US, which has been prevented for over 400 days, should resume ''as soon as possible' under the agreement. Before the pandemic 4.5 million Americans visited the UK every year, more than any other country.
A new travel taskforce will work to explore options and make recommendations for reopening travel between the two nations.
The charter will assess the threat made by cyber attacks and security, agreeing on a landmark technology agreement next year.
Downing Street says the two leaders will also look to reinforce a shared commitment on preserving the Good Friday/Belfast Agreement in Northern Ireland.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson says:
“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, cooperation 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 President Biden and I will make today, rooted as they are in our shared values and outlook, will form the foundation of a sustainable global recovery. Eighty years ago the US President and British Prime Minister stood together promising a better future. Today we do the same.”