This archive report was first published on 17 September 2021.
On a visit to London, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made it clear that the preservation of the Good Friday Agreement is a top priority for the US. She stated, “This is not said as any threat, it’s a prediction, if there’s destruction of the Good Friday accords, we’re very unlikely to have a UK-US bilateral,”
Britain's departure from the European Union has created an opportunity for a trade deal with the US, but the country remains locked in talks with Brussels and Dublin over the implementation of post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland.
The Northern Ireland Protocol aims to maintain an open border between Northern Ireland and the EU member state Ireland, a key component of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement that brought an end to decades of violence over British rule.
However, pro-British unionists argue that the deal to mandate checks on goods crossing the Irish Sea from mainland Britain creates another de facto border and puts Northern Ireland’s place in the wider UK at risk.
London and Brussels agreed to indefinitely extend a grace period on implementing some checks earlier this month, a move welcomed by Pelosi.
She expressed her support for the agreement, saying, “I’m so glad that more time has been given for the negotiations… because there has to be an agreement,”
Any UK-US trade deal will require approval from the House of Representatives, led by Pelosi, a Democrat whose boss, US President Joe Biden, is of Irish descent.
Pelosi emphasized the significance of the Good Friday Agreement, stating that it is “very, very, very, very respected in the Congress of the United States.
She also discussed the issue with Prime Minister Boris Johnson during a meeting at Downing Street on Thursday, saying, “He gave me some reading material. He may be coming to the US… soon and I told him I’d be reading what he gave me and asking some questions about it when we meet.”
