Joe Biden may not attend G7 in Cornwall if Covid restrictions not lifted

It is still up in the air whether Mr Biden takes Air Force One to the UK in June

Credit: Reuters

Joe Biden may not attend the G7 summit in the UK in June in person if Covid restrictions are still in place, the White House has said.

World leaders are expected to gather in Cornwall for the summit hosted by Boris Johnson between June 11 and 13.

It has been anticipated as potentially Mr Biden’s first trip abroad as US president.

Asked by The Telegraph if the president would physically go to the summit, Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said there was "certainly a possibility" that he would not.

Whether he makes the trip will depend on how the pandemic develops over the next few months, and the advice of his medical team.

Ms Psaki said: “In terms of whether or not he will travel, we haven’t made a determination on that at this point.

"It will be related to Covid restrictions and the advice of our health and medical team, and I expect as we get closer we’ll have more of an update."

Asked if that meant there was a possibility he would not fly to the UK for the event, Ms Psaki said: "We’ll evaluate as we get closer. There’s certainly a possibility, but we’re several months away."

Jen Psaki  said a decision had yet to be made

The Prime Minister has chosen Carbis Bay, a Cornish beauty spot to bring together leaders from around the world for the first in-person G7 summit in almost two years.

They will discuss the coronavirus, climate change, trade, and technological change and scientific discovery.

Ms Psaki said: "Obviously there are global objectives — getting the pandemic under control, working together to get our economy up and going again, which is something the United States is obviously grappling with but many countries around the world are grappling with.

"I’m certain those will be part of the agenda [at the G7]."

However, she said Mr Biden’s priorities for the summit had not yet been finalised.

She said: "We’re not quite there yet in terms of laying out his exact agenda. A lot can happen in the world between now and then.’

The G7 consists of the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the US and the EU.

The Prime Minister has also invited  Australia, India and South Korea in order to boost links with those countries.

Donald Trump had backed inviting Russia to the G7, but Ms Psaki has said Mr Biden will not be making any invitations to Russia.