JOE BIDEN has warned that the Good Friday peace agreement mustn't become a casualty of Brexit.
The Presidential candidate stressed that a hard border could not return to the island of Ireland and that a trade deal between the US and the UK depended on Britain's respect for the peace deal.
"We can’t allow the Good Friday Agreement that brought peace to Northern Ireland to become a casualty of Brexit," Biden tweeted.
"Any trade deal between the US and UK must be contingent upon respect for the Agreement and preventing the return of a hard border. Period."
Last week, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson unveiled plans to override parts of the Withdrawal Agreement by introducing a new Internal Market Bill.
The bill will allow ministers to override the legally-binding agreement in place with the EU by unilaterally waiving customs documents on goods travelling between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.
We can’t allow the Good Friday Agreement that brought peace to Northern Ireland to become a casualty of Brexit.
Any trade deal between the U.S. and U.K. must be contingent upon respect for the Agreement and preventing the return of a hard border. Period. https://t.co/Ecu9jPrcHL— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) September 16, 2020
The UK was accused of a 'bait and switch' approach, and have been widely criticised for their reluctance to honour pre-existing agreements.
British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said he was unconcerned by Biden's remarks, saying he has "every confidence" that the UK and the US will strike a deal.
"I saw the remarks that Joe Biden made, and he said that the most important thing is to protect peace on the island of Ireland and that is right at the top of our priority list too," he said.
Meanwhile, UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is currently in Washington DC to discuss the issue, and insisted that the UK had "absolute" commitment to the Good Friday Agreement and accused Brussels of the "politicisation" of Northern Ireland issues in the context of Brexit trade talks.
He added that he had been having "very positive discussions" with both Republicans and Democrats during his visit to the US capital.
