Biden, Sunak reaffirm 'special relationship'

2022-10-26

Still special! Biden has spoken with UK’s new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to reaffirm the two countries’ relationship as they agreed to work together to support Ukraine and stand up to China

Sunak and Biden spoke over the phone yesterday and made the affirmations
They discussed unity over Ukraine and China, and pursuit of sustainable energy
The call came just one day after Biden butchered Sunak’s name during a speech

U.S. President Joe Biden and new British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have reaffirmed their two countries’ ‘special relationship’ and agreed on the importance of supporting Ukraine.

The affirmation came as the pair shared a phone call yesterday in which they also agreed on the importance of working together to address the challenges posed by China and to secure sustainable and affordable energy resources, a White House statement said.

They also discussed their commitment to the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, it said, something which Biden has previously expressed concern over and has been insistent that Britain do nothing that could endanger a quarter century of peace in Northern Ireland.

Their conversation was held just a day after Biden stumbled over Sunak’s name during a speech congratulating the new Prime Minister.

The President, speaking at a White House event to mark the Indian holiday of Diwali on Monday, made several failed attempts at Sunak’s name before calling him ‘Rashee Sanook’ – the latest in a long line of gaffes that will only fuel widespread speculation of his declining mental state.

Sunak, a 42-year-old multimillionaire former hedge fund boss, yesterday became the country’s youngest leader in modern times and its third in less than two months as his Conservative Party endures a period of considerable turmoil.

United States President Joe Biden speaks at the White House in Washington, DC, October 5, 2022

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak leaves 10 Downing Street for Prime Minister’s Questions on October 26, 2022 in London, England

Sunak is pictured speaking to Joe Biden yesterday

In his speech on Monday, Biden said: ‘And whether it’s the United Kingdom, where just today, we’ve got news that [Rishi Sunak] is now the prime minister.

‘As my brother would say, ”go figure”!’ he exclaimed, to a round of laughs from the audience.

‘And the Conservative Party, expected to become the Prime Minister, I think, tomorrow when he goes to see the King.

‘Pretty astounding. A groundbreaking milestone. And it matters, it matters.’

However, an opposition member of Parliament in Britain spoke out on Twitter against Sunak, claiming his appointment is ‘not a win for Asian representation’ because of his vast personal wealth.

Nadia Whittome, a Labour party MP and member of the Socialist Campaign Group, told her followers that Britain’s new leader is ‘not on your side.’

‘Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister isn’t a win for Asian representation,’ the 26-year-old, who also has Indian roots, tweeted yesterday.

‘He’s a multimillionaire who, as chancellor, cut taxes on bank profits while overseeing the biggest drop in living standards since 1956.

‘Black, white or Asian: if you work for a living, he is not on your side.’

Her tweet was later deleted after she was contacted by Labour headquarters and told to remove it, the Daily Telegraph reported.

Rishi Sunak has been named as the new Prime Minister today (pictured with 1922 Committee officers) after Boris Johnson sensationally dropped out of the Tory leadership race

Sunak’s wife Akshata Murthy hails from Indian business aristocracy: her father is Narayana Murthy, a billionaire sometimes dubbed the ‘Bill Gates of India’ who founded a software firm Infosys in the early 1980s and is now the country’s sixth richest man

Nadia Whittome, a 26-year-old MP and member of the Socialist Campaign Group, claimed Britain’s newest Prime Minister was ‘not on your side’

Although her initial tweet was deleted, Ms Whittome doubled down on her critique of Mr Sunak’s personal fortune in later tweets

With his victory in the Conservative party leadership race coming on Diwali, Sunak became the UK’s first-ever Hindu prime minister, the first of Asian heritage and the youngest to take up the mantle in more than two centuries at the age of 42.

Sunak ascends to Downing Street after previous the prime minister, Liz Truss, resigned having spent just 45 days in office.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Sunak on Twitter and wrote: ‘Special Diwali wishes to “living bridge” of UK Indians as we transform historic ties into modern partnership.’

Sunak has previously spoken about how his Asian identity matters to him, telling the BBC: ‘I’m a first generation immigrant. My parents emigrated here, so you’ve got this generation of people who are born here, their parents were not born here, and they’ve come to this country to make a life.’

The UK’s first – and only other – minority prime minister was Benjamin Disraeli, who was Jewish, in 1874.

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