UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US President Joe Biden are working to open a travel corridor between the US and the UK “as soon as possible” and will set up a new ‘Atlantic Charter’ modelled on the statement by Churchill and FDR in WWII.
International travel will be a top issue at this week’s G7 summit, where the coronavirus pandemic has essentially halted traffic.
Mr Johnson is reportedly planning to press Mr Biden about a ‘green channel’ between the respective nations so those who are vaccinated could travel without a quarantine requirement.
The two leaders will also launch a new travel taskforce that will make recommendations on safely reopening transatlantic travel.
During a press briefing on Ari Force One, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said: “We’ve established two working groups of experts, public health experts: one with the United Kingdom and one with the European Union.
“The point of these working groups is to share data and set out both milestones and criteria to enable a reopening of travel between our two countries as swiftly as possible, consistent with public health guidance.”
Additionally, Mr Biden and Mr Johnson will also agree to a new ‘Atlantic Charter’, modelled on the historic joint statement made by Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1941 that set out the leaders goals for the world post-WWII.
The 1941 Atlantic Charter was devised at sea on board the Royal Navy battleship HMS Prince of Wales and the American ship USS Augusta.
The new Atlantic Charter will focus on threats to modern democracies, an agenda item the White House as emphasised ahead of the trip as concerns in America grow about the increasing world influence of Russia and China.
