Pictures No10 promoted of Sunak meeting Biden - and the video that tells different story

Josh Salisbury12 April 2023
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Footage of Rishi Sunak and Joe Biden sharing a handshake appears to show the US president turning away from Mr Sunak - and his car blocking him from view entirely.

The US President is currently on a four-day trip tour of the island of Ireland to mark the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.

In photographs of the highly-choreographed visit released by No10, Mr Sunak can be seen warmly greeting the US president as Air Force One landed in Belfast.

But footage of the moment seemed to show a less cosy picture, with Mr Sunak being blocked from cameras by his presidential car, often nicknamed the Beast.

Another clip shows Mr Biden turning his back on Mr Sunak and talking to others instead.

It comes as the White House insisted Wednesday that Mr Biden is not anti-British as he began his series of engagements across Ireland.

One of the pictures released by Downing Street
Simon Walker / No 10 Downing Street

In Belfast, he said he was there to “listen" as he had a cup of tea with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

The pair met for around 45 minutes on Wednesday, with Mr Sunak telling broadcasters that the pair spoke about the “incredible economic opportunities" for Northern Ireland.

The Prime Minister described the UK's relationship with the US as being “in great shape", describing them as “very close partners and allies".

At the meeting with Mr Sunak in a Belfast hotel, Mr Biden faced a volley of questions from reporters - including if he had a message for Northern Irish parties and why he was not discussing a trade deal while on his visit to the UK.

But he declined to answer, instead commenting on the “heck of a view" from the upper floors of the Grand Central Hotel.

Senior unionist figures in Northern Ireland have criticised Mr Biden, with MP Sammy Wilson claiming the president “has got a record of being pro-Republican, anti-Unionist, anti-British" while former first minister Baroness Foster has suggested he “hates the UK".

This was rejected by Amanda Sloat, senior director for Europe at the US National Security Council, who said: “It's simply untrue - the fact that the president is going to be engaging for the third time in three months, and then again next month and then again in June, with the Prime Minister of the UK shows how close our co-operation is with the UK.

“And before that, the president had numerous calls and meeting with prime minister Johnson, and prime minister Truss as well.”

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