Anthony Albanese bonds with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has already impressed one major world leader, bonding during a 25-minute call en route to Tokyo.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has bonded with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a 25-minute call while on a flight en route to Tokyo.

Calling to congratulate Mr Albanese on the win, Mr Johnson and the new PM are understood to hold a good relationship and initially connected over their views on climate change; an issue over which Scott Morrison disagreed with his UK counterpart.

The call went so well, the leaders “agreed to stay in close touch and hoped they would be able to meet in person soon”.

While climate change acted as an initial buffer for the pair, the AUKUS alliance, Russian aggression and the Free Trade Agreement also made hot topics of conversation.

A statement from the UK Prime Minister’s Office at 10 Downing Street told news.com.au Mr Johnson “told the new Australian leader that he wanted to congratulate him fulsomely on the big moment and said he looked forward to strengthening the UK – Australia relationship even further.

“Prime Minister Albanese thanked the Prime Minister and noted that the UK and Australia had a strong and historic friendship, stemming from their close Commonwealth ties. The pair agreed that there was more that could be done together.”

The call came two days after Mr Albanese’s election on Saturday and is one of a number Australia’s newly sworn in Prime Minister has fielded since, including from the US, India, Japan and Solomon Islands.

The call comes in stark contrast to when French President Emmanuel Macron was re-elected on April 24, when Mr Johnson delayed his congratulations until May 6. It is no secret that the pair’s relationship is notoriously frosty.

Mr Albanese however called his conversation “friendly and very positive” and said the discussion affirmed “the strength of Australia’s close relationship with the United Kingdom”.

“We discussed our shared commitment to AUKUS and to acting on the challenge of climate change.”

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Anthony Albanese during a call with Boris Johnson on the prime ministerial plane.

The UK Prime Minister’s Office said in its statement that “both leaders agreed that there was strong alignment between their Governments’ joint agendas, spanning across global security, climate change and trade.

“Discussing AUKUS, the leaders strongly agreed on its vital importance and the exciting opportunities it provided. The Prime Minister said he thought the trilateral grouping could go further together in other domains, where both countries could collaborate for the global good.”

Speaking on the Russian invasion, the pair “also paid tribute to the extraordinary resistance of the Ukrainian people in the face of ruthless Russian aggression, and the Prime Minister thanked Australia for its principled position and strong support to Ukraine.

“The leaders agreed that it was important that the war in Ukraine did not embolden other countries to undermine global stability.”

November 2, 2021: Prime Minister Scott Morrison with Boris Johnson (R) and Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India (C) at the COP 26 Climate summit in Glasgow. Picture: Adam Taylor

According to the Mr Johnson’s office, he told Mr Albanese: “Congratulations to Anthony Albanese on your election as Prime Minister of Australia.

“Our countries have a long history and a bright future together. As thriving like-minded democracies we work every day to make the world a better, safer, greener and more prosperous place.

“As we reap the rewards of our comprehensive Free Trade Agreement, the AUKUS partnership and the unmatched closeness between the British and Australian people, we do so knowing that the only distance between us is geographical.

“I look forward to working with Prime Minister Albanese in the weeks, months and years ahead as, together, we tackle shared challenges and demonstrate the importance of our shared values.”

In a statement on Twitter, Mr Johnson reaffirmed “the strong alignment between our joint agendas, covering global security, climate change and trade”.

“We agreed on the vital importance and the exciting opportunities that our AUKUS partnership brings.”

Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the House of Commons on May 18 Picture: JESSICA TAYLOR / UK PARLIAMENT

Mr Johnson even tweeted Mr Albanese on Saturday night, telling him: “I look forward to working with you as we reap the rewards of our comprehensive Free Trade Agreement, the AUKUS partnership and the unmatched closeness between the British and Australian people.”

Mr Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong are en route to Tokyo where they are set to meet counterparts from the US, Japan and India for the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue.

US President called Mr Albanese on Sunday to commend him on the win and underline the strength of their countries’ alliance, the White House said in a statement.

The White House praised Mr Albanese for deciding to make the trip to the Quad group summit, where the two leaders will meet on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stands with newly appointed Foreign Minister Penny Wong. Picture: David Gray/Getty Images

After being sworn the new Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese and the new Foreign Minister Penny Wong board the RAAF jet for the Quad meeting in Japan. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Taylor

Speaking with reporters prior to his departure on Monday, Mr Albanese said it was an opportunity for Australia to send a “message to the world”.

“The meetings that we will have, not just with the United States but, importantly, with our hosts in Japan and India are going to be very important … to send a message to the world that there’s a new government in Australia,” he said.

“It’s a government that represents a change, in terms of the way that we deal with the world on issues like climate change but also a continuity in the way that we have respect for democracy and the way that we value our friendships and long-time alliances.”

Scott Morrison and Mr Johnson enjoyed a cordial relationship, but did not always see eye-to-eye on all subjects - particularly climate change.

While Mr Johnson pushed leaders to make drastic cutes to emissions, Mr Morrison did not budge from his commitment to Australia reducing its emissions by 26 to 28 per cent by 2030.