What has Boris Johnson said about Trump?

PM has attempted to distance himself from the president in recent weeks

A former head of the UK civil service has suggested that Boris Johnson will be "glad" to see the back of Donald Trump following his election defeat.

As Joe Biden prepares to enter the White House, Lord Sedwill said on Monday that those arguing the prime minister would have preferred a second Trump term "are mistaken".

Mr Johnson generally avoided criticising the Trump administration until recently, when five people died during the US Capitol riot, which the president is accused of inciting.

It is the job of any PM to maintain strong relationships with the UK's closest allies, particularly those as important as the United States.

But did Mr Johnson get too close to the president while he was in office, and what has he said – or failed to say – about the man who attempted to overturn the result of the US election?

Nobel Peace Prize candidate

While foreign secretary in 2018, Mr Johnson suggested that if Mr Trump could "fix" North Korea and restore the Iran nuclear deal then he could be considered for one of the world's most prestigious honours.

"I don't see why he's any less of a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize than Barack Obama", the PM said, adding that Mr Obama received the honour "before doing anything".

Mr Johnson defended that statement last week, brushing it off as nothing more than diplomacy and telling a Commons committee: “I'm in favour ... of the UK having the best possible relationship with the president of the United States."

He added: "I had an excellent conversation very recently with president-elect Joe Biden.”

It was not the first time he had criticised Mr Obama.

In 2016 the PM was accused of "dog whistle" racism for suggesting Mr Obama possessed anti-British sentiment because of his "part-Kenyan" heritage. He later defended the comments.

'He has many good qualities’

While running for the Conservative Party leadership in June 2019, Mr Johnson told a hustings in Carlisle that the president had "many good qualities" as he praised his handling of the economy.

He said: "This is a guy who, when all is said and done, has got the US economy motoring along at about 3.6 per cent growth.

"He's put in capital allowances for business in a way that I think we should be looking at here, he's cut regulations and he's cut taxes in a way that has driven growth in the US".

He added: "I know that not everybody agrees with everything Donald Trump says or does but on that he is having results, and we should pay tribute to that."

Those comments came just weeks after the US president showered the future PM with praise, saying he would make an "excellent" leader.

Mr Trump said: "I like him. I have always liked him. I don’t know that he is going to be chosen, but I think he is a very good guy, a very talented person. He has been very positive about me and our country."

At that point, the pair's relationship reached the point that some commentators began to describe it as a "bromance".

Non-committal

Over summer 2020, the PM was criticised for not condemning the president's incendiary response to demonstrations against racial injustice and police brutality that swept the US following the police killing of George Floyd.

In a letter to Mr Johnson, 40 Liberal Democrat MPs and peers warned that "to remain silent is to remain complicit", as they urged him to denounce the president's "dangerous language".

The president had encouraged law enforcement to crack down on protesters and journalists.

At a Downing Street press conference in June, Mr Johnson said he was "appalled and sickened" by the death of Floyd but refused to be drawn on the president's response to violence that broke out at protests after his killing.

‘Too warm’

Earlier this month, former British ambassador Kim Darroch warned that Mr Johnson's "fawning" over the president will have done the UK no favours in dealing with incoming president Joe Biden, who once described the PM as a "clone" of Mr Trump.

Sir Kim said he thought Mr Johnson “was intrigued” by Mr Trump’s rise to power and was "too warm" towards the Republican.

Mr Darroch resigned from his role as Britain's Washington ambassador in 2019 after the PM had failed to back him in a row over leaked emails critical of the Mr.

‘Sycophancy’

Labour has accused Boris Johnson and other cabinet ministers who spent years "queueing up to pour praise" on Mr Trump of abandoning British values.

London mayor Sadiq Khan and shadow foreign secretary Lisa Nandy have called for a new UK foreign policy with a “moral centre”.

Ms Nandy told The Observer earlier this month: "Whether it’s over trade, climate change or justice for 19-year-old Harry Dunn, those cabinet ministers have come away with absolutely nothing to show for these public displays of sycophancy except for a diminished reputation for Britain in the world."

When asked if the prime minister had anything positive to say about Mr Trump as he prepares to leave the White House, a Downing Street spokesperson said on Tuesday: "The prime minister will always have a positive relationship with the president of the United States, and is looking forward to working with Joe Biden."