White House warns Truss against scrapping NI protocol: ‘It may affect US-UK trade talks’
The White House has once again warned that scrapping the Northern Ireland Protocol would “not create a conducive environment” for US-UK trade discussions
The White House has once again warned that scrapping the Northern Ireland Protocol would “not create a conducive environment” for US-UK trade discussions. In a press conference on Wednesday, Karine Jean-Pierre, US President Joe Biden’s press secretary, said such measures might jeopardise the Good Friday Agreement.
The warning comes as the newly appointed Northern Ireland secretary stated his desire to “negotiate a solution” with the EU. Biden has previously stated that he feels “very strongly” about the protocol and has consistently pushed the UK not to take any move that may result in a hard Irish border. During their initial phone call on September 7, Biden brought up the protocol issue directly with new British PM Liz Truss.
What is Northern Ireland protocol?
According to a White House transcript of their chat, the duo discussed “the significance of obtaining a negotiated agreement with the European Union.” The protocol is the UK’s agreement with the EU on how to reconcile Brexit with the open border between the two Irelands created by the 1998 Good Friday peace treaty. The United States helped arrange the accord, and there is strong bipartisan resistance to any move that could jeopardise it.
Truss’ steadfast support for Ukraine’s defence is praised in Washington, but her stance on etiquette is viewed as a key source of friction in bilateral relations. The White House was caught aback by Truss’ revelation in May, when she was foreign secretary, that the government would move forward with legislation that would modify portions of protocol in a way that was widely regarded as a violation of international law.
Stark disparities between official reports of the Truss-Biden phone chat
The bill is making its way through British parliament, and the US has advised the government not to put it to a vote or risk a split with both the US and the EU. The tension was palpable in the stark disparities between official reports of the Truss-Biden phone chat. According to the Downing Street account, they “agreed on the necessity of safeguarding the Belfast (Good Friday) agreement.”
According to a White House statement, they “discussed their shared commitment to protecting the gains of the Belfast/Good Friday agreement and the importance of reaching a negotiated agreement with the European Union on the Northern Ireland protocol.”
In her address to the legislature on September 7, Truss stated ,”My preference is for a negotiated solution, but it does have to deliver all of the things we set out in the Northern Ireland protocol bill, and what we cannot allow is for this situation to drift.”
The message from the White House on September 7 was designed to discourage her from giving up on negotiations, warning that the nature of the relationship may be at risk. US officials welcomed her stated desire for dialogue. In response to a question on whether Biden and Truss will meet at the UN general assembly later this month, Jean-Pierre stated, “We don’t have a meeting or anything like that to read out at this time.”
