After meeting with Biden, Boris Johnson tries to make 'indestructible relationship' happen

On the one hand, Thursday's inaugural meeting between British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and President Biden went better than many in Britain expected, Politico London reports. Biden and Johnson "appeared to genuinely get on well, perhaps better than some on the British side had imagined," and Johnson's office was also "breathing a big sigh of relief" that Biden and his team "chose to — so far — steer clear of a bust-up over Brexit and Northern Ireland."
On the other hand, Biden reaffirmed the "special relationship" between Britain and the U.S. after their bilateral meeting, using a phase Johnson finds "needy and weak," Tom McTague reports in The Atlantic. Biden told reporters, "We affirmed the special relationship — that is not said lightly — the special relationship between our people and renewed our commitment to defending the enduring democratic values that both our nations share," and then tweeted out a condensed version.
BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg asked Johnson which adjective he would like better than "special," and Johnson had some ideas. "It's a relationship, you can call it the deep and meaningful relationship, the indestructible relationship," he said, in an interview published Friday morning. "It's a relationship that has endured for a very long time, and has been an important part of peace and prosperity both in Europe and around the world."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"If Johnson somehow gets Biden to say the words 'indestructible relationship' this weekend then things really will have gone better than expected," Politico suggests. And if Biden uses "deep and meaningful relationship," it's probably best if he's talking about his marriage.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Alchemised: how Harry Potter fanfic went mainstream
In The Spotlight Traditional publishers are signing up fan fiction authors to rewrite their ‘explosively popular’ romances for the mass market
-
Crossword: October 6, 2025
The Week's daily crossword
-
Codeword: October 6, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US
-
US government shuts down amid health care standoff
Speed Read Democrats said they won’t vote for a deal that doesn’t renew Affordable Care Act health care subsidies
-
YouTube to pay Trump $22M over Jan. 6 expulsion
Speed Read The president accused the company of censorship following the suspension of accounts post-Capitol riot
-
Oregon sues to stop Trump military deployment
Speed Read The president wants to send the National Guard into Portland