Despite Brexiteers’ opposition to the US’s involvement, the President has weighed in on the new Northern Ireland Brexit deal.
Joe Biden and his top officials applauded Rishi Sunak for reaching a new agreement on Northern Ireland.
The President issued a statement shortly after the Prime Minister and Ursula von der Leyen reached an agreement on the Windsor Framework, effectively scrapping the Northern Ireland Protocol, which Biden had supported despite UK tensions.
Biden called the Windsor Framework a “essential step to ensuring that the hard-earned peace and progress of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement is preserved and strengthened”.
“I appreciate the efforts of the leaders and officials on all sides who worked tirelessly to find a way forward that protects Northern Ireland’s place within the UK’s internal market as well as the EU’s single market, to the benefit of all communities,” the President said.
“I am confident the people and businesses of Northern Ireland will be able to take full advantage of the economic opportunities created by this stability and certainty, and the United States stands ready to support the region’s vast economic potential.“
Biden then added: “Northern Ireland can accomplish the extraordinary when its leaders work together in common cause.”
However, Brexiteers have already raged against the US’ stance on Northern Ireland, with Ben Habib saying he “couldn’t care what Joe Biden thinks” last week.
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson is also said to have said “f*** the Americans” in Parliament to former Lord Chancellor Sir Robert Buckland.
The Windsor Framework introduces two new routes for goods travelling from Great Britain into Northern Ireland, easing “burdensome customs bureaucracy”.
Biden’s administration has made it clear that it will not sign a post-Brexit trade agreement with the UK until key political disputes in Ulster, including the Northern Ireland Protocol, which governs import and export arrangements, are resolved.