JOE Biden and Rishi Sunak have different political personas and philosophies, yet they are both hoping that they could spark the special US-UK relationship after years in the deep freeze.

Whereas Biden was first elected to the US Congress in 1972 and is a left-of-centre Democrat, Sunak is a Conservative former banker who became a UK Member of Parliament only in 2015. Add to this the fact that Biden is around twice Sunak’s age.

Indeed, one of the main commonalities between the two is that they both face big election battles in 2024. Sunak is seeking an unprecedented fifth term for the Conservatives against a resurgent Labour Party, while Biden may face off against Donald Trump next year in a 2020 presidential rematch.