President Biden warns trade deal must not derail peace in Northern Ireland

Biden was asked by a reporter if the delay to the proposed trade deal with the UK was due to his Irish heritage.

US President Joe Biden has warned that he doesn't want to see a trade deal with the UK lead to a "closed border" in Ireland. When asked about Brexit during a meeting with British prime minister, Boris Johnson, in the White House on Tuesday, Biden said that the trade deal with the UK is still "being discussed". However, Biden added that he “feels very strongly” about the Northern Ireland protocol. When asked by a reporter if the delay to the deal with the UK was due to his Irish heritage, Biden said that he wouldn't like to see "a change in the Irish accords". “We spent an enormous amount of time and effort in the United States [on the peace process],” he said. “It was a major bipartisan effort made and I would not at all like to see – nor I might add would my Republican colleagues like to see – a change in the Irish accords with the end result having a closed border again." "Nobody wants to see anything that interrupts or unbalances the Belfast Good Friday Agreement," Johnson replied. The EU has said on multiple occasions that the protocol can't be negotiated again. The EU has also committed to helping fix any problems faced in Ireland and Northern Ireland due to the UK's decision to leave the EU, saying any problems should be dealt with by this year.