White House Warns Truss over Efforts to ‘Undo’ Northern Ireland Protocol

THE GUARDIAN: Biden administration says undoing the protocol would not be ‘conducive’ to a trade deal between the UK and US

Liz Truss during her first call to Joe Biden, after which the White House warned the British PM against legislation negating parts of Northern Ireland protocol. Photograph: Andrew Parsons/No10 Downing Street
The Biden administration has sent Liz Truss a message on her second day in office warning against “efforts to undo the Northern Ireland protocol”.

The warning came from the lectern in the White House briefing room, where spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre was asked about new British prime minister Truss’s first phone call with Joe Biden and whether a US-UK trade deal was discussed.

Northern Ireland was not mentioned in the question, but Jean-Pierre brought it up anyway.

“There’s no formal linkage on trade talks between the US and the UK and the Northern Ireland protocol, as we have said, but efforts to undo the Northern Ireland protocol would not create a conducive environment, and that’s basically where we are in the dialogue,” Jean-Pierre said.

“Not conducive to a trade deal” is the administration’s established position on British threats, spearheaded by Truss, to pass legislation negating part of the Northern Ireland protocol. » | Julian Borger in Washington | Thursday, September 8, 2022