As Joe Biden is poised to become the 46th US President, today is also an historical day thanks to his incoming Vice President – Kamala Harris. She will be the first woman of colour to take on the role, marking a significant moment in the history of the country. The inauguration ceremony will take place today, and will also mark a seismic shift in US policy towards the UK. Outgoing President Donald Trump was a vocal backer of Brexit, and regularly expressed praise for Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
However, reports suggest the Biden administration will be less warm to the British leader due to comments he made about former President Barack Obama in 2016.
Mr Obama was met with controversial comments by Mr Johnson, who was London Mayor at the time.
He accused Mr Obama of having an “ancestral dislike of the British Empire”, referring to his “part-Kenyan” heritage.
The comments were branded “idiotic” and “deeply offensive” by Tory MP Sir Nicholas Soames.
In November, a source told the Sunday Times that ill-feeling remains over the remarks.
They appeared to suggest that Ms Harris “hates” Mr Johnson, saying: “If you think Joe hates him, you should hear Kamala.”
After Mr Biden was declared the winner of the election, the Prime Minister sent a congratulatory message via Twitter.
Tommy Vietor, a former aide to Mr Obama who also worked alongside Mr Biden, hit out at Mr Johnson in brutal fashion.
He said: “This shapeshifting creep weighs in. We will never forget your racist comments about Obama and slavish devotion to Trump but neat Instagram graphic.”
In October, former UK ambassador to the US Sir Kim Darroch warned that tension between Mr Biden and Mr Johnson could remain.
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He said: “I hesitate to say this, but there will be some Obama people in a Biden administration and they remember some of the things that the current Prime Minister said about Obama, whether as a newspaper columnist or whether it was Mayor of London.
“I promise you there is still some resentment and unhappiness over that. I’m not sure there will be, you know, quite the warm, welcoming embrace from Mr Biden as it would from Mr Trump.”
Incoming President Biden has already clashed with Mr Johnson during the Brexit process, hitting out at the UK’s attempts to change the Northern Ireland protocol – designed to preserve an open border on the island of Ireland.
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Mr Biden, who has Irish ancestry, warned peace in Ireland must not become a “casualty of Brexit”.
Talk of a US-UK trade deal has also been rife in the wake of Brexit, but Professor Charles A. Kupchan tells Express.co.uk that this will not be a priority of the Biden administration.
He said this week: “I think it would be unexpected to see a broader push towards trade liberalisation, because right now free trade isn’t an appealing stance among both parties in the US.
“There will be emphasis on improving the trade deals that America does strike, but I see that as an agenda item for four years.
“At least in year one a lot of Biden’s efforts will be going towards a domestic agenda.”
