Joe Biden has re-entered the Brexit debate with a new warning about the Northern Ireland Protocol.
The White House warned that tearing up Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit deal would “not create a conducive environment” for US-UK trade talks.
“There is 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,” said Mr Biden’s press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre yesterday.
It is the latest intervention from the US President over the protocol, which is the subject of a bitter row between Britain and Brussels.
Mr Biden has repeatedly urged the UK not to take any action that could result in a hard border with Ireland.
The warning comes after Liz Truss stated in the House of Commons on Wednesday that she prefers a negotiated solution with the EU.
She did, however, warn that any agreement must include “all of the things we set out” in the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill.
The legislation hands ministers powers to unilaterally override elements of the protocol, which was designed to prevent a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic.
However, the agreement has been a source of friction between the UK and the EU because it has resulted in checks on goods moving between the UK and Northern Ireland.
The US leader, who claims he has Irish roots, stressed the importance of reaching an agreement with the bloc.