US House of Representative Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a strident opponent of the US President, said that if the UK does not allow EU oversight of intra-British trade with Northern Ireland, then a trade deal with the US would not be ratified by a Democrat controlled house.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing a backlash from the EU and from within his own ruling Conservative Party after his government said it's making plans to scuttle EU plans for Irish border.
Ms Pelosi said that the UK must ensure the free flow of goods across the border, as agreed in Britain's deal with the EU last year.
Last year's accord gave Northern Ireland the same trade rules as the EU to avoid customs checks at the land border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, a key part of the Good Friday Agreement two decades go that ended years of bloodshed. A UK bill published recently would allow ministers to override parts of that accord.
'If the UK violates that international treaty and Brexit undermines the Good Friday accord, there will be absolutely no chance of a US-UK trade agreement passing the Congress,' said Ms Pelosi.
Britain proposes no border controls between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Nor does the Irish republic. But the EU insists on them to uphold normal border crossing rules between EU and non-EU states.
The EU says it may have a case to seek legal remedies under the divorce agreement even before the UK internal-market bill is passed by Parliament and that it would have a clear justification once the bill becomes law, according to the EU's preliminary analysis.
SeaNews Turkey
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing a backlash from the EU and from within his own ruling Conservative Party after his government said it's making plans to scuttle EU plans for Irish border.
Ms Pelosi said that the UK must ensure the free flow of goods across the border, as agreed in Britain's deal with the EU last year.
Last year's accord gave Northern Ireland the same trade rules as the EU to avoid customs checks at the land border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, a key part of the Good Friday Agreement two decades go that ended years of bloodshed. A UK bill published recently would allow ministers to override parts of that accord.
'If the UK violates that international treaty and Brexit undermines the Good Friday accord, there will be absolutely no chance of a US-UK trade agreement passing the Congress,' said Ms Pelosi.
Britain proposes no border controls between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Nor does the Irish republic. But the EU insists on them to uphold normal border crossing rules between EU and non-EU states.
The EU says it may have a case to seek legal remedies under the divorce agreement even before the UK internal-market bill is passed by Parliament and that it would have a clear justification once the bill becomes law, according to the EU's preliminary analysis.
SeaNews Turkey