THE SPEAKER of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, has said the British government's plan to unilaterally discard the Northern Ireland Protocol is "deeply concerning".
She also said that the US Congress would block any US-UK trade deal if the Good Friday Agreement was damaged by changes to the Northern Ireland Protocol.
"The Good Friday Accords are the bedrock of peace in Northern Ireland and a beacon of hope for the world," Pelosi said. "Ensuring there is no physical border between the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland is necessary for upholding this landmark agreement, which transformed Northern Ireland.
"It is deeply concerning that the United Kingdom now seeks to unilaterally discard the Northern Ireland Protocol, which preserves the important progress and stability forged by the Accords. It continues to enjoy strong bipartisan & bicameral support in the United States Congress."
Pelosi said that in her conversations with the Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and other members of the house of Commons she has stated that Congress "cannot and will not support a bilateral free trade agreement with the United Kingdom" if it "chooses to undermine the Good Friday Accords."
“Respectful of the will of the British people and of Brexit, I urge constructive, collaborative and good-faith negotiations to implement an agreement that upholds peace. The children of Northern Ireland, who have never known the bloody conflict and do not want to go back, deserve a future free of the violence where all may reach their fulfilment.”
It was this week announced that the UK plans to legislate to override parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol in the coming weeks.
The DUP is also currently blocking the re-establishment of Stormont's power-sharing institutions in protest of the protocol.
