Biden invites Kinnock to Washington

Neil Kinnock (pictured) is flying to Washington today with his wife Glenys for the inauguration on Tuesday of President-elect Barack Obama as the guest of Joe Biden, the Vice President-elect who famously plagiarised one of the former Labour leader's campaign speeches during his first bid for the US presidency two decades ago.

Glenys, an MEP, said on the BBC Andrew Marr programme that Lord Kinnock became firm friends with Biden after the then Democratic Senator got into hot water in September 1987 for stealing Kinnock's words.

Kinnock (pictured) had said in one of his best received speeches, delivered in May the same year: "Why am I the first Kinnock in a thousand generations to be able to get to university? [Then pointing to his wife in the audience] Why is Glenys the first woman in her family in a thousand generations to be able to get to university? Was it because all our predecessors were thick?"

Biden’s campaign speech included the lines: "I started thinking as I was coming over here, why is it that Joe Biden is the first in his family ever to go to a university? [Then pointing to his wife in the audience] Why is it that my wife who is sitting out there in the audience is the first in her family to ever go to college? Is it because our fathers and mothers were not bright? Is it because I'm the first Biden in a thousand generations to get a college and a graduate degree that I was smarter than the rest?"

The accusations of plagiarism – his rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, Michael Dukakis, released video of the two speeches – contributed towards Biden’s decision to pull out of the race. It was a high price to pay, and Kinnock made it clear to Biden there were no hard feelings on his side. "He is going as a guest of Joe Biden," said Glenys. "They have become friends."