Biden underlines his commitment to NI Protocol as he meets with Truss
Joe Biden has emphasised his commitment to the post-Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol before his meeting with Liz Truss, telling the Prime Minister he wanted to hear “what’s on your mind”.
The US President said in a short statement before the pair’s first bilateral meeting that the UK was the US’ “closest ally in the world” and that he looked “forward to working closely” with the new Prime Minister.
The White House has told the UK that it must come to a mutual agreement with Brussels over how to fix the Northern Ireland Protocol – a post-Brexit treaty widely thought to be putting the Good Friday Peace Agreement at risk.
Brussels and London both agree that onerous checks on goods crossing the Irish Sea are creating political and economic tensions, however the two sides have very different ideas on how to solve the issue.
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Tuesday that Biden would “communicate his strong view that the Good Friday Agreement … must be protected” in talks with Truss.
The UK is proposing to unilaterally overrule large parts of the protocol to eliminate most checks on goods going from Great Britain to Northern Ireland – a move described as a breach of international law by Brussels.
Truss said before the pair’s meeting today that “of course I’m looking forward to discussing the Belfast Good Friday Agreement and how we make sure that’s upheld into the future”.
Biden’s administration has taken a keen interest in UK-EU negotiations over the Northern Ireland Protocol, after the US played a part in brokering the 1998 Good Friday Peace Agreement.
The President also has a deep personal interest in the matter due to his oft-referenced Irish heritage.
White House officials had previously told ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson that a UK-US trade deal will not happen without a settlement on the protocol, however Truss this week moved to proactively rule out any chance of a deal happening soon.
“We both are committed to protecting the … Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland, I’m looking forward to hearing what’s on your mind and how we can continue to cooperate,” Biden told Truss.