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UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson (left) meets US President Joe Biden. Stefan Rousseau/PA

Biden stresses importance of NI peace process and downplays trade deal during Johnson meeting

The US president met UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the Oval Office.

JOE BIDEN AGAIN stressed the importance of protecting the peace process in Northern Ireland and downplayed prospects of brokering a post-Brexit trade deal with Boris Johnson during a meeting in the White House.

The US President issued a fresh warning for the UK not to damage the peace process in Northern Ireland over the EU departure.

Biden did not counter the assertion from his predecessor Barack Obama’s that Britain would be at the “back of the queue” for a post-Brexit free trade agreement.

Sitting next to Johnson in the Oval Office, the US President told reporters: “We’re going to talk a little bit about trade today and we’re going to have to work that through.”

Johnson updated the president on the “developments” on the Northern Ireland Protocol since their meeting in Cornwall in June.

Vocally proud of his Irish heritage, Biden said he feels “very strongly” about the issues surrounding the peace process, as problems with the Northern Ireland Protocol persisted.

“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.

Video available: Joe Biden issues warning over Northern Ireland Protocol

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.”

Johnson told reporters in Manhattan there were “plenty of reason to be optimistic” about getting the free trade agreement (FTA) with the US.

But the Vote Leave figurehead downplayed the prospects of brokering a trade deal by the next election, raising the possibility that he could leave Downing Street without achieving a key ambition for the post-Brexit era.

His concession came after suggesting trade negotiations are not a priority for the US president, who he accepted has “a lot of fish to fry”.

The Prime Minister’s first White House meeting with Biden since he succeeded Donald Trump came as the UK Government’s hopes for securing a comprehensive free trade deal with the US faded.

British ministers were understood to be instead considering whether to join an existing pact with the US, Mexico and Canada to boost trans-Atlantic trade in a major departure from their prior ambitions.

Downing Street said brokering a comprehensive deal with the White House remains “the priority” but did not rule out joining other pacts as a backup.

“Our focus is on the US stand-alone deal and that’s what we’re working towards,” the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said.

Earlier in the day, Johnson was unable to commit to securing the deal – touted as a prize of Brexit by Leave supporters during the EU referendum – before the next election

Last week, the Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, linked respecting the peace agreement in Northern Ireland, which provides for an open border with the Republic of Ireland, to any trade negotiations with London.

In one possible boost to trans-Atlantic trade, Biden said they are “going to be working on lamb” – with imports currently banned from Britain.

Ahead of the Biden-Johnson meeting, Taoiseach Michéal Martin was asked by reporters what message Biden would have for the UK premier on Brexit.

Martin said: “He has been very consistent in terms of the messaging he has given Boris Johnson and the UK in relation to the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol.”

The protocol was agreed by the UK and EU as a way to maintain a free-flowing land border on the island of Ireland after Brexit.

Unionists in Northern Ireland have been opposed to its terms, which see additional checks on goods arriving to the region from Britain.

Additional reporting from AFP

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    Mute James
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    Sep 22nd 2021, 7:52 AM

    The protocol is here to stay then.them unionist lads up north is not going to like this,they banging their drums to Boris clearly chucking them all under the bus.

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    Mute Brian Kelly
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    Sep 22nd 2021, 8:18 AM

    @James: F the unionists! Who do they think they are!? Why should we jump to their tune? They went with Brexit, they got Brexit done. Now get on with it. No change to the protocol just to suit them… No No No!!!

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    Mute Joe Johnson
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    Sep 22nd 2021, 9:04 AM

    Good man Joe

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    Mute Dave Thomas
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    Sep 22nd 2021, 10:09 AM

    @Joe Johnson: you just like his name

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    Mute Mick Tobin
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    Sep 22nd 2021, 1:00 PM

    @Joe Johnson: He threw Johnson a bone with the Aukus defence deal. And he probably didn’t even properly understand its possible consequences.

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    Mute camio55
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    Sep 22nd 2021, 8:01 AM

    This is a consequence for Britain of totally mishandling the Brexit agreement. On the other hand there has to be way forward found that reassures Unionist that there link with the UK is not damaged or compromised. The latter balance is essential under the terms of the GFA.

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    Mute Cobh Rebel Tour Mccarthy
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    Sep 22nd 2021, 2:30 PM

    @camio55: Yes but the same GFA caters for a democratic constitutional change on this island where we all (not just unionist) live and people like Boris, Biden, Martin and Veradkar need to be honest with unionists and keep reminding them of that, because no matter what happens with the protocol in the end, the border poll is still going to happen one day and no one will have the right nor the power to prevent it when the conditions to call it are met.

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    Mute Gary Kearney
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    Sep 22nd 2021, 12:06 PM

    A British Minister then says this on SKY “He is probably at the moment just reading the headlines, reading what the EU is saying, reading what Ireland might be saying,” Environment Secretary George Eustice”
    The man is clueless about the issue and about the President of the US. He managed to put both feet in his mouth while digging himself and Boris a bigger hole than they were already in.
    By insulting the President and his heritage.
    Its amazing watching them stagger from one mistake to the other.

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    Mute A Well Known Comical Stereotype
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    Sep 22nd 2021, 2:20 PM

    Did Boris know which “Republicans” Biden was referring to?

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    Mute Jj
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    Sep 22nd 2021, 10:14 AM

    Out of curiousity, is Biden just supporting the GFA agreement because of his Irish heritage or is there some other ulterior motive?

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    Mute Joey Navinski
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    Sep 22nd 2021, 10:32 AM

    @Jj: the USA are signatories and co-guarantors of the GFA.

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    Mute David Van-Standen
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    Sep 22nd 2021, 10:59 AM

    @Jj: its not really an ulterior motive as such, but there are many other aspects to the USA position not only for Biden, but across both the Democratic and Republican parties, not least the support of Irish American voter base.

    Another factor is that the USA doesn’t see a trade deal with the UK as a priority, which further demonstrates the folly of Brexiteers, that assumed all nations including the USA, would be motivated to make new trade deals with them.

    The reality is as those opposed to Brexit pointed out, the UK is now in a much weaker bargaining position than it was as a member of the EU and this proposal to join a smaller trading block including Canada and Mexico to trade with the USA only confirms that and that any future UK/USA trade deal will be on the USA’s terms alone.

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    Mute Gary Kearney
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    Sep 22nd 2021, 12:03 PM

    @Jj: THE GFA is supported on both sides of the house in both houses of the US. our embassy did a cracking job on lobbying for the protection of the GFA from Brexit.

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    Mute Seomra Ban
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    Sep 22nd 2021, 8:03 AM

    And I gave him a bleedin watch…

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    Mute thesaltyurchin
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    Sep 22nd 2021, 1:05 PM

    Meanwhile in the Aisa Pacific… Mwwwhaaaawww

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