UK looks forward to working closely with new team in White House: Johnson

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday said the US is an important ally of the UK and he looks forward to working closely with the new team at the White House on "shared priorities" from climate change to trade and security.

Johnson congratulated US President-elect Joe Biden and wished vice-president-elect Kamala Harris on her "historic achievement" in the bitterly-fought presidential election.

"The US is our important ally and I look forward to working closely together on our shared priorities, from climate change to trade and security," he said in a statement posted on Twitter.

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, Johnson’s second in command, said in his statement that outgoing President Trump had "fought hard" and that he was looking forward to working with the new administration.

"The UK-US friendship has always been a force for good in the world," he said.

UK Opposition leaders also joined in the congratulatory fervour, with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer praising Biden's campaign of "decency, integrity, compassion and strength" and the leader of the Liberal Democrats, Sir Ed Davey, saying the result was "a great victory for social justice, climate action and democracy".

Leaders from other parts of the UK welcomed the result as a sign of great hope, while the UK media widely focussed on Biden’s message of unity in his victory speech.

“It is understood the Prime Minister [Boris Johnson] will ask Biden to join him in seeking a bold outcome to the UN climate summit the UK is hosting next year and to set up a ‘D10 coalition of democracies’ at the G7 summit in June, which Johnson is to chair,” reported 'The Sunday Times'.

Meanwhile, a report in ‘The Sunday Telegraph’ struck a note of caution that Biden will not prioritise UK-US trade deal talks in the first 100 days of his presidency, according to a figure advising the new President-elect’s campaign on foreign policy.

New laws on coronavirus relief, economic recovery, immigration reform, infrastructure improvements and tackling climate change would all be higher priorities.

“No one is going to want to test that out as the first piece of legislation,” the source was quoted by the newspaper as saying.

The UK has been hoping for a quick post-Brexit free trade agreement (FTA) with the US as a sign of vindication over its exit from the European Union (EU) allowing it to strike lucrative trade deals around the world.

A comment piece in the same newspaper looked into Harris’ big win, which it claims means “America is finally ready for a woman in the White House”.

The more Left-leaning media focussed more on the outgoing President's exit, with the ‘Observer’ declaring that Biden’s win marks the end of “Trump’s war on democracy and truth”.

“Biden jogs on stage for victory speech as Trump slinks back from golf course” declares ‘The Independent’ newspaper.

The tabloids went for the more humorous side of things, with ‘The Sun’ declaring: “Spit House: Trump ‘won’t attend Biden inauguration’ as White House staff seek to calm him” and ‘The Sunday Mirror’ leads with Kamala Harris’ history-making win.

“And Harris isn't the only person who will make history when she takes on the job, and her husband Doug Emhoff will become America's first ever Second Gentleman,” it notes. 

(Photo Credit: AP)