Britain’s US Embassy attempts to play down fears that Biden’s removal of Churchill bust signals a souring of Special Relationship with video about Anglo-American friendship
- US Embassy in London uploaded video defining the ‘Special Relationship’
- Video is in response to criticism of removal of Churchill bust from Oval office
- The video shows how the Special Relationship stands for more than the bust
- The Churchill bust removed as part of the office’s redecoration for Joe Biden
The US Embassy has responded to criticism over the removal of the Winston Churchill bust in the Oval office by posting a video defining the ‘Special relationship’ between Britain and America.
When President Joe Biden moved into the White House, his team redecorated the Oval Office, with the bust of Winston Churchill being removed.
The move mirrored a similar change made by President Obama in 2009 who also moved the former Prime Minister’s image from his office.
The US Embassy in London’s Twitter account uploaded a video defining the Special Relationship between Britain and America in response to criticism of the removal of the Winston Churchill bust from the Oval Office
There were concerns raised about the removal of the bust, with Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform UK party, saying the removal showed the new US President will not be a ‘great friend’ to the UK.
However, in response to the outcry over the bust, the US Embassy in London uploaded a video addressing the controversy with the caption: ‘We’ve seen some discussion about the Churchill Bust, so we just wanted to remind everyone what the Special Relationship is truly about.’
The video starts by showing a picture of the Churchill bust alongside a caption which reads: ‘This is a bust of Winston Churchill.’
The video then moves on to show describe how America and Britain are the largest investors in each others country.
In the cheeky video, the Embassy shows an image of the Churchill bust, saying: ‘This is a bust of Winston Churchill’ before showing images of British and American soldiers standing side-by-side and pointing out that the two nations are the biggest investors in each other
The video ends on this image of the British and American flags intertwined with a definition of the Special Relationship, pointing out that it is more than the bust
Additional images of British and American soldiers standing next to each other as well as a series of historical images of meetings between US presidents and British Prime Ministers.
The video ends on the image of the British and American flags alongside each other with the words: ‘The Special Relationship is about people, values & trust.’
Joe Biden’s new-look Oval Office has introduced several new busts, including civil rights leaders Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks and socialist Latino union leader Cesar Chavez who sits proudly behind the President’s chair.
The bust of Churchill that sat in Trump’s Oval Office had been loaned to the White House by the British Embassy, and its whereabouts are now unknown.
The bust was removed from the Oval Office by Barack Obama in 2009 before it was subsequently reinstated by Donald Trump. Pictured: The Oval Office after being redecorated for Joe Biden
The bust of Churchill that sat in Trump’s Oval Office had been loaned to the White House by the British Embassy, and its whereabouts are now unknown
Responding yesterday to a question about the bust, Number 10 said: ‘The Oval Office is the President’s private office and it is up to the President to decorate it as he wishes.’
The spokesman added: ‘We are in no doubt about the importance President Biden puts on the US-UK relationship.’
Each incoming US president is free to redecorate the Oval Office however they see fit.
Mr Biden’s revamp included installing a bust of Cesar Chavez, the Latino American civil rights activist, as well as an array of family photos.