‘Britain is better off with Biden’: Boris Johnson’s ex-chancellor backs Democrat over Trump
Boris Johnson’s former chancellor has backed Joe Biden over Donald Trump to be the next president of the United States.
Sajid Javid said “Britain is better off with Biden” and cast the Democrat politician as the heir to former Republican president Ronald Reagan.
His comments, in an article in the Daily Telegraph, follow reports Mr Johnson is keen to curry favour with Mr Biden, the frontrunner in the polls, amid fears of a rift.
Mr Johnson has previously had a strong relationship with Mr Trump.
On the eve of a visit to London a few years ago Mr Trump even suggested that Mr Johnson would make a good replacement for the then prime minister Theresa May.
Meanwhile, Mr Biden has publicly rebuked Mr Johnson over Brexit and said the US would only agree to a trade deal if it was sure that the UK respected the Good Friday Agreement.
Embarrassingly, the telling off came after Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, sought to lobby senior Democrats in Washington.
Mr Javid played down the row over Brexit, saying the issue would be settled before the next president takes office and “will hardly be top of his in-tray”.
He said a Biden administration would “quickly realise that Boris isn’t the British Trump some claim him to be”.
When it comes to the ‘special relationship’ between the UK and the US, the Irish American Mr Biden “may not single us out for unique treatment, but in reality neither did Trump”.
In what will be seen as a criticism of how No 10 has handled some issues on this side of the Atlantic, he added: “Trump’s “campaign by culture war” might secure him a second term in the White House, but it’s incompatible with both candidates’ first priority for the next four years – to rebuild. Biden is best placed for this, and our interest is best served by stronger international partners.”
He also quoted Mr Reagan who in 1992 told the Republican National Convention: “Whatever else history may say about me when I’m gone,” he said, “I hope it will record that I appealed to your best hopes, not your worst fears – to your confidence rather than your doubts.”
Mr Javid added: “Only one of the candidates can credibly say the same. Britain is better off with Biden.”
