Cabinet minister George Eustice says Joe Biden does not understand the ‘very complicated’ Northern Ireland Protocol and the US President is ‘wrong’ to have concerns about the peace process
- George Eustice suggested Joe Biden does not fully understand post-Brexit rules
- Environment Secretary said US President is probably ‘just reading the headlines’
- He said Mr Biden is ‘wrong’ to have concerns about peace in Northern Ireland
- The remarks by Mr Eustice risk igniting a diplomatic row with the White House
Joe Biden does not understand the Northern Ireland Protocol and is ‘wrong’ to have concerns about the peace process, a Cabinet minister said this morning.
George Eustice said the post-Brexit trading arrangements that apply to goods travelling between Great Britain and Northern Ireland are ‘very complicated’.
He said he was ‘not sure’ that Mr Biden ‘fully appreciates’ the UK’s position as it seeks to renegotiate the rules with the EU.
Mr Eustice said Mr Biden is probably ‘just reading the headlines, reading what the EU are saying’.
The comments risk igniting a furious diplomatic row with the US after Mr Biden yesterday reiterated his concerns about the implementation of the protocol as he welcomed Boris Johnson to the White House.
George Eustice said the post-Brexit trading arrangements that apply to goods travelling from Great Britain to Northern Ireland are ‘very complicated’
Joe Biden yesterday reiterated his concerns about the Northern Ireland Protocol as he welcomed Boris Johnson to the White House
Mr Biden, who has Irish ancestry, yesterday issued a fresh warning for the UK not to damage the peace process in Northern Ireland as it tries to resolve border issues with the EU.
Sitting next to Mr Johnson in the Oval Office, Mr Biden said he felt ‘very strongly’ about issues surrounding the peace process.
‘And I would not at all like to see – nor, I might add, would many of my Republican colleagues like to see – a change in the Irish accords, the end result having a closed border in Ireland,’ he said.
Mr Johnson said ‘that’s absolutely right’, adding: ‘On that point, Joe, we’re completely at one, nobody wants to see anything that interrupts or unbalances the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.’
The protocol, agreed as part of the Brexit deal, requires checks on goods travelling from GB to Northern Ireland to be carried out at ports in order to avoid the return of a land border with the Republic.
But it has caused disruption to trade and angered unionists who have demanded the rules be scrapped, arguing…
Read More: Cabinet minister says Joe Biden does not understand NI Protocol