Boris Johnson congratulates Joe Biden on US election victory

8 November 2020, 12:27 | Updated: 8 November 2020, 12:53

Boris Johnson has congratulated Joe Biden for his US election victory, saying there is "crucial stuff" for them to work on in the coming months.

The Prime Minister said: "I congratulate President-elect Biden very much on his victory and, of course, I congratulate Kamala Harris on being the first female Vice President, as she will become, in the history of the United States.

"The United States is our closest and most important ally, and that has been the case president after president, prime minister after prime minister - it won't change.

Biden pledges to be "a president who seeks not to divide but to unify"

"I look forward very much to working with President Biden and his team on a lot of crucial stuff for us in the weeks and months ahead: tackling climate change, trade, international security, many, many other issues."

A Labour MP today said that Mr Johnson should have criticised President Trump for being "wrong" to denounce the US election result.

Shadow international trade secretary Emily Thornberry said after Democrat candidate Joe Biden had been declared President-elect and Mr Trump continued to say the vote was not legitimate, the Prime Minister should have said "this is not the behaviour we expect, this is wrong".

Ms Thornberry also warned that despite Mr Biden's victory, achieving a trade deal with the United States could take "many years".

Commenting on the election result, she said today: "I don't think anybody can be surprised - I think that it is very much the sort of pattern of behaviour that he indulges in and, actually, he's told us himself, hasn't he, for some time that this is what he is going to do.

"I think what is important is that we all stand united, those of us that are interested in democracy, and supporters of western democracy in particular - this is the biggest democracy in the west - and to have this sitting president saying the result isn't valid is very damaging indeed."