Boris Johnson flies in to meet senior Trump figures as Britain seeks to play down spying allegations against GCHQ
Foreign Secretary is attending a major Washington DC conference aimed at countering the Islamic State terror group
BORIS Johnson has arrived in Washington to meet senior figures in the Trump administration as Britain seeks to play down the controversy over allegations it helped spy on the President.
The Foreign Secretary is attending a major Washington DC conference aimed at countering the Islamic State terror group across the globe.
He was not intending to use the trip to revisit transatlantic tensions over accusations British intelligence was asked by the Obama administration to monitor Donald Trump when he was running for the Oval Office, sources suggested.
But while Mr Johnson is keen to concentrate on efforts to fight IS at talks with representatives of some 60 countries, he is also meeting senior US officials including secretary of state Rex Tillerson.
The visit comes after a diplomatic incident was sparked when White House press secretary Sean Spicer mentioned claims British security agency GCHQ had spied on Mr Trump at his predecessor’s request.
In a rare public comment GCHQ said the claims were "utterly ridiculous nonsense" which should be ignored.
London is said to be satisfied by assurances that White House officials will not repeat the allegations, meanwhile the columnist who first broadcast the claims, Andrew Napolitano, has been side-lined by Fox News.
On Monday, NSA director Admiral Mike Rogers insisted his organisation did not ask GCHQ to spy on Mr Trump during his bid for the White House.
Asked if President Trump making "baseless" claims against British security services damaged the close relationship between the two nations, Admiral Rogers said: "I think it clearly frustrates a key ally of ours."
Brexit is also expected to feature during the visit, as the UK attempts to prepare the way for a US trade deal after withdrawal from the EU.
Mr Johnson will travel on to New York on Thursday and chair a United Nations Security Council meeting on security in Somalia, famine and South Sudan.
The Foreign Secretary will also host a UN event on female empowerment around the world, aimed at giving women better access to schools, jobs and democracy.
He tweeted shortly after midnight announcing he had landed in Washington DC, with a picture of him sharing a laugh with US national security adviser General HR McMaster.