Boris Johnson is used to being part of the entourage at global summits such as the G7 in Biarritz.
But finally, the man who famously said he wanted to be world king is on the global stage as the UK’s top dog.
Relaxed, smiling and joking with French President Emmanuel Macron as he arrived at the opening summit dinner in Biarritz on Saturday night, the UK’s new prime minister has a very different style to his predecessor and is clearly enjoying his seat at the top table.
This summit is all about politics, but Mr Johnson comes to the French holiday resort knowing there’s serious business to be done here too.
And that begins today when the British prime minister will meet the two Donalds to begin talks on what could be two very tricky sets of trade negotiations.
First up will be an early morning bilateral meeting with US President Donald Trump to discuss a post-Brexit trade deal.
But No 10 insiders have acknowledged that striking a trade deal could take time, with plenty of thorny issues to be thrashed out between the two sides.
Mr Johnson is adamant that the NHS remains off the table in any trade talks, while he is also clear that animal welfare standards cannot be compromised in the UK – two potentially big stumbling blocks in progressing a deal.
The man who famously said he wanted to be world king is on the global stage
Meanwhile, political resistance in the US is also building, with Democrats in Washington vowing to block a trade deal if Brexit is seen as a risk to the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland.
“On trade matters it’s very important that an early trade deal is struck,” former British ambassador Sir Ivor Roberts told Sky News. “But Congress plays a big role and if Congress is unhappy, maybe they’ve been wound up over the Irish backstop or whatever, they can stymie a good trade deal.”
Mr Johnson insisted on Saturday that any UK-US trade deal has to work in the interests of British business as he spoke of the prospect of a “fantastic deal” ahead of talks with his US counterparts.
“There are massive opportunities for UK companies to open up, to prise open the American market. We intend to seize those opportunities but they are going to require our American friends to compromise and to open up their approach because currently there are too many restrictions,” he said.
Whatever the substance of any trade deal or those talks on Sunday morning, Mr Johnson can at least expect the mood music around his meeting with Mr Trump to be positive when the two friends meet for the first time since Mr Johnson’s appointment as prime minister.
His second key bilateral of the day is likely to prove a far more combustible affair as Mr Johnson and European Council President Donald Tusk hold talks against a difficult backdrop.
The duo engaged in a war of words on Saturday as Mr Tusk told the UK prime minister he was ready to “hold serious talks” over Brexit but would “not cooperate” on a no-deal exit from the EU.
Mr Tusk told reporters that Mr Johnson should try to avoid a legacy of being “Mr No Deal” Brexit, prompting the PM to reply: “If Donald Tusk doesn’t want to go down in history as Mr No Deal Brexit then I hope this point will be borne in mind by him too.”
The rocky relationship between the pair could be about to worsen, with the PM telling EU partners he’s ready to withhold nearly all of the £39bn divorce bill if the two sides cannot come to some sort of agreement ahead of Britain’s exit day of 31 October.
When he was vying to become prime minister, Mr Johnson said he thought there was a million in one chance of a no-deal exit. Those odds are now rapidly shortening.
But for all the rhetoric, this prime minister knows ultimately that Britain’s prosperity – and his legacy – hinges on being able to bridge trade deals with his allies and partners on both sides of the Atlantic.
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