If only Rishi Sunak had teamed up with another US president. Things might even have started to look special

Biden is an old-school Democrat, while Sunak is a British Conservative of a newer stamp. How on Earth can anyone expect these two to ever get on, asks Mary Dejevsky

Past pairings worked, or failed to work, more because of character and worldview than anything else (PA Wire)

As a British prime minister who is in many ways more attuned to the United States than any of his recent predecessors, Rishi Sunak should be God’s gift to the much-hyped “special relationship”.

He has worked in the US, he owns a beachfront apartment in California, he has a Stanford MBA, and he has, or had, a green card, which entitles its holder to live and work in America. His evident enthusiasm for the country also makes him that rare creature: a Brit who not only understands and appreciates the United States and what makes it tick, but can hack it on the other side of the Atlantic. His affinity with America is plain for all to see. His first official visit to Washington this week should have been a triumph.

Alas, he is walking away with a vague and underwhelming “Atlantic declaration” on green technology, but no sign of a shiny new trade deal. Indeed, that seems further away than ever. The president can’t even remember his job title.