Joe Biden told Sir Keir Starmer that “football’s coming home” because of him after England reached the final of the Euros.
The US president congratulated the Prime Minister on the 2-1 semi-final victory over the Netherlands as he welcomed him to the White House for their first face-to-face talks.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office shortly before 6pm local time (11pm BST), the pair were asked: “Is football coming home?”
“It looks like it,” Sir Keir answered, to which Mr Biden added: “It’s all because of the Prime Minister.”
The Labour leader replied: “Not lost a game under the Labour Government.”
![Joe Biden and Sir Keir Starmer in a bilateral meeting at the White House on Wednesday](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/politics/2024/07/10/TELEMMGLPICT000385152039_17206498592230_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqVnJ5P4-WYOraZF_klhtC2VPpNvUU6hCBAE43nz1yT14.jpeg?imwidth=350)
The president later hailed Britain as the “knot” binding Nato together after Sir Keir congratulated him on hosting the alliance’s 75th anniversary summit.
“I kind of see you guys as the knot tying the transatlantic alliance together,” Mr Biden said.
“The closer you are with Europe, the more you’re engaged, because we know where you are, we know where we are.”
![Biden and Starmer shake hands while speaking to reporters](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/politics/2024/07/10/TELEMMGLPICT000385153375_17206549441080_trans_NvBQzQNjv4BqSf9AZKb4rWKNNUCkqSphqE25VblDVHjVpIAdcVwtCao.jpeg?imwidth=350)
Sir Keir replied: “I think that’s absolutely right. Now we go into a cup final on Sunday, on top of all that.”
The Prime Minister earlier met a host of Nato leaders, including Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz, as they gathered in Washington DC.
Sir Keir also met Volodymyr Zelensky, who thanked him for approving the use of British-donated Storm Shadow missiles in strikes on Russia.