Six meetings between the two heads of state in nine months suggests a blossoming partnership.
Trailing in the polls, under fire for failing policies and with the ghost of his predecessor ever present, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will consider President Joe Biden’s return to Britain on Sunday a welcome diversion from the domestic turmoil.
The US president may also see the first few days of a European tour a pleasant pit stop in familiar surroundings with the added benefit of meeting the United Kingdom's new head of state.
There are many things that Mr Sunak would like from Washington – a post-Brexit free-trade deal for one – but that is currently not even in the conversation.
But when Mr Biden returns to Britain this weekend it will be another opportunity for the pair to strengthen their personal relationship, something immensely helpful in politics.
A united stance on Ukraine will also help cement the war-ravaged country’s rapid pathway to Nato membership.
Mr Biden had initially been a little “standoffish” when Mr Sunak became Britain’s third prime minister in two months in October last year, but the Conservative leader’s personable traits appear to have won him over.
“I think President Biden has come around to the idea that if anyone's going to be supportive of what the US wants to do internationally it is going to be the UK,” said Dr Alan Mendoza, of the Henry Jackson think tank.
While Ukraine will be first on the agenda, getting Sweden past the “Turkish blockade” on its protracted Nato-membership application will also feature, Dr Mendoza said.
But there might be the odd tricky moment in their chats. Mr Biden apparently vetoed Defence Secretary Ben Wallace’s attempt to become Nato secretary general, a further emasculation of Britain’s post-Brexit standing.
But a Whitehall source suggested that Mr Sunak’s congenial character will ease such challenging issues, unlike his immediate predecessors. “You can’t imagine the likes of [former prime ministers] Boris Johnson or Liz Truss having this particular relationship with Biden given their tricky personalities,” the source said.
Mr Sunak, 43, might also benefit from some of the 80-year-old president’s political wisdom acquired during six decades in Washington.
Pleasant as the meeting with Mr Sunak might be, the American leader will more likely be anticipating driving into Windsor Castle for his first audience with King Charles III since his coronation.
Having sent his wife in his place for the May crowning, Mr Biden will hope to form a useful working side-relationship with the British monarch as many of his predecessors have done.
The late Queen Elizabeth II met 13 presidents, forming a useful added influence on Washington while the US leaders were able to bask in the glow of British royalty, something that continues to fascinate Americans.
“The relationship between the British monarch and the American president, in particular, lends itself to getting things done,” Dr Mendoza said. “There's a soft power involved in meeting the monarch that can later be transferred into policy terms. But in this meeting the king will be asked by the government for nothing more than softening Biden up a bit.”
The offer of a state visit for Mr Biden will also be well received.
The consistent meetings with the US president suggest Mr Sunak’s useful trait of building strong relationships with world leaders that might help cover the fractures within his own party.
“He's capable of creating relationships that could be difficult and it shows you Rishi is someone who wants to get things done in that he's happy to speak to everyone,” the Whitehall source said. “It’s the quiet leader that he is.”
It was also a reminder that Britain “remains a front rank diplomatic and economic power” despite a national pastime of running down the country “which is a view clearly not shared by the US president”, Dr Mendoza said.
On Tuesday Mr Biden will travel from London to Vilnius, Lithuania, for the Nato summit before meeting Nordic leaders in Finland on Thursday.
Before he arrived in Britain, Downing Street said that the meeting would “reflect the strong relationship between the UK and US building on a series of bilateral visits and meetings earlier this year”.
What is clear is that a strong and genuine working relationship has evolved between the two leaders to the point that Mr Biden is unlikely to ever repeat his error when the British politician became prime minister mispronouncing his name “Rashi Sanook”.
TEST SQUADS
Bangladesh: Mushfiqur Rahim (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mominul Haque, Nasir Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Mehedi Hasan, Shafiul Islam, Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed.
Australia: Steve Smith (captain), David Warner, Ashton Agar, Hilton Cartwright, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Matthew Wade, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson and Jackson Bird.
Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
Getting there
The flights
Flydubai operates up to seven flights a week to Helsinki. Return fares to Helsinki from Dubai start from Dh1,545 in Economy and Dh7,560 in Business Class.
The stay
Golden Crown Igloos in Levi offer stays from Dh1,215 per person per night for a superior igloo; www.leviniglut.net
Panorama Hotel in Levi is conveniently located at the top of Levi fell, a short walk from the gondola. Stays start from Dh292 per night based on two people sharing; www. golevi.fi/en/accommodation/hotel-levi-panorama
Arctic Treehouse Hotel in Rovaniemi offers stays from Dh1,379 per night based on two people sharing; www.arctictreehousehotel.com
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Porsche Macan T: The Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 265hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,800-4,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Speed: 0-100kph in 6.2sec
Top speed: 232kph
Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km
On sale: May or June
Price: From Dh259,900
Boulder shooting victims
• Denny Strong, 20
• Neven Stanisic, 23
• Rikki Olds, 25
• Tralona Bartkowiak, 49
• Suzanne Fountain, 59
• Teri Leiker, 51
• Eric Talley, 51
• Kevin Mahoney, 61
• Lynn Murray, 62
• Jody Waters, 65
Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier
Results
UAE beat Saudi Arabia by 12 runs
Kuwait beat Iran by eight wickets
Oman beat Maldives by 10 wickets
Bahrain beat Qatar by six wickets
Semi-finals
UAE v Qatar
Bahrain v Kuwait
England squads for Test and T20 series against New Zealand
Test squad: Joe Root (capt), Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jack Leach, Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Pope, Dominic Sibley, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes
T20 squad: Eoin Morgan (capt), Jonny Bairstow, Tom Banton, Sam Billings, Pat Brown, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Lewis Gregory, Chris Jordan, Saqib Mahmood, Dawid Malan, Matt Parkinson, Adil Rashid, James Vince
The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLE
Price, base / as tested Dh274,000 (estimate)
Engine 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder
Gearbox Nine-speed automatic
Power 245hp @ 4,200rpm
Torque 500Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km
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What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
Step by step
2070km to run
38 days
273,600 calories consumed
28kg of fruit
40kg of vegetables
45 pairs of running shoes
1 yoga matt
1 oxygen chamber
The biog
Name: Ayisha Abdulrahman Gareb
Age: 57
From: Kalba
Occupation: Mukrema, though she washes bodies without charge
Favourite things to do: Visiting patients at the hospital and give them the support they need.
Role model: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union, Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation and President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood.
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
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The Comeback: Elvis And The Story Of The 68 Special
Simon Goddard
Omnibus Press
