Joe Biden hit by huge backlash over Brexit meddling – even from Remainers
Techne’s Michela Morizzo reveals latest findings from polling
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Results from a new poll for Express.co.uk indicate the country is sick and tired of Washington seeking to intervene in the UK’s relationship with Brussels. With repeated threats being made against Britain over negotiations on the Northern Ireland Protocol, the public would rather those in America kept their mouths firmly shut. It follows the UK Government lashing out at “findamentally ignorant” senior Democrats interfering in the Northern Ireland debate.
Surveyed by TECHNEUK this week on behalf of Express.co.uk, 75 percent of respondents said “yes” when asked, “Should President Joe Biden stop interfering in the UK/EU talks on the Northern Ireland Protocol?”
Just 13 percent of the 1,625 British adults polled on May 18-19 said no, while 12 percent were unsure.
The incessant intrusions have also unified the country across Brexit dividing lines with Leavers and Remainers agreeing in their views on the comments being made from the US.
In total, 78 percent of those who voted the leave the EU in 2016 said they wanted Mr Biden to stop meddling in Brexit, with 77 percent of those who voted Remain agreeing.
The findings come after Washington warned the UK against taking any action on the Northern Ireland Protocol that risks undermining the Good Friday Agreement.
The Protocol, agreed as part of the 2019 Brexit withdrawal agreement, requires customs checks on goods crossing the Irish Sea from Great Britain in order to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland.
However, Unionists argue the heavy-handed implementation of the customs checks by the EU has undermined Northern Ireland’s place in the UK and has had a devastating impact on its economy.
For more than six months Britain has attempted to solve the frictions caused through talks with Brussels, but the bloc has refused to renegotiate.
Ministers feel they have been left with no choice but to threaten legislation to overrule aspects of the Protocol if the EU doesn’t shift in its position.
Last week the White House warned Prime Minister Boris Johnson: “The best path forward is a pragmatic one that requires courage, cooperation and leadership.
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“We urge the parties to continue engaging in dialogue to resolve differences and bring negotiations to a successful conclusion.”
On Friday the influential House Speaker and close ally of Mr Biden, Nancy Pelosi, also warned against unilateral action from the UK.
“It is deeply concerning that the United Kingdom is now seeking to unilaterally discard the Northern Ireland Protocol.
“Negotiated agreements like the Protocol preserve the important progress and stability forged by the Good Friday Accords, which continue to enjoy strong bipartisan and bicameral support in the United States Congress,” she said.
“As I have stated in my conversations with the Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary and Members of the House of Commons, if the United Kingdom chooses to undermine the Good Friday Accords, the Congress cannot and will not support a bilateral free trade agreement with the United Kingdom.
“Respectful of the will of the British people and of Brexit, I urge constructive, collaborative and good-faith negotiations to implement an agreement that upholds peace.
“The children of Northern Ireland, who have never known the bloody conflict and do not want to go back, deserve a future free of the violence where all may reach their fulfilment.”
In response to Ms Pelosi’s comments, a No 10 spokesman said: “We welcome that the US shares our deep commitment to the Belfast Good Friday Agreement and the peace process and has urged the EU to show flexibility.”
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