Liz Truss hopes to resolve the Northern Ireland Protocol gridlock before the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday peace deal next year, thus possibly paving the way for a state visit by Joe Biden to the UK, British media outlets reported.
This leaves the UK Prime Minister with a deadline of 10 April 2023 to resolve the spat with the European Union over the contentious post-Brexit issue, according to British diplomats.
The anniversary is cited as a crucial and “pivotal moment” by officials.
“Both of us are looking at the 25th anniversary next year as a key decision point. But the big obstacle to that is the lack of an executive at the moment, which is the primary focus for both parties,” one UK official was quoted by the FT as saying.
“If you look at the calendar you will conclude that next year might be an obvious reason to visit Europe if things come good,” another insider said.
Truss and Biden had a "short discussion" about the Northern Ireland protocol as they met on the sidelines of the United Nations general assembly in New York on Wednesday.
“We are both committed to protecting the gains from the Good Friday agreement in Northern Ireland and I look forward to hearing what’s on your mind and how we can continue to co-operate,” the 46th POTUS, who often expresses pride in his Irish descent, said in opening remarks at the beginning of their meeting.
“Of course, I’m looking forward to discussing the Belfast Good Friday agreement and how we can make sure that’s upheld into the future,” Truss responded.
According to Downing Street, “both agreed that the priority must be protecting the Belfast Good Friday agreement and preserving the gains of peace in Northern Ireland.”
Earlier in the day, Truss met with Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission president, to discuss the Northern Ireland Protocol, with a senior commission official reportedly stating that Brussels was only willing to discuss “implementation” of the protocol, not its revision.
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Sir Tony Blair, UK prime minister when the Good Friday Accord - which had been largely orchestrated by his predecessor Sir John Major - was signed in 1998, has urged both sides to show “maximum flexibility to reach an agreement”, according to British diplomatic sources. Blair has reportedly been “explaining to the Europeans and the Americans that the British government have a real point on the trading aspects of the protocol”.
“He’s been explaining in a way that only he can, given his role in the Good Friday agreement. He has been explaining why there’s no danger, why it’s not about the Good Friday agreement. It’s about communities. And he’s been explaining why the EU’s proposals will not work. Now, he doesn’t agree with the government on every point, but he certainly has been a helpful voice in that,” a source was cited as saying.
As for the free trade deal that the UK covets with the US, the White House in September denied there is any “linkage” with the NI Protocol issue.
"There is a 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," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
Joe Biden previously said that he felt "very strongly" about the protocol and urged the UK not to take any action that could potentially create a hard Irish border.
NI Protocol Gridlock
A crucial element of the Brexit agreement, signed when Boris Johnson was Prime Minister, the Northern Ireland Protocol was designed to allow for special trading arrangements between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland that rule out a hard border between the two.
Known as the NI protocol, the arrangement keeps Northern Ireland (in the UK) aligned with the EU single market for goods, thus avoiding a hard border with the Republic of Ireland (in the European Union). This was done to safeguard a vital part of the 1998 Good Friday peace deal that ended three decades of violence in Northern Ireland. However, the protocol, introduced in 2021, brought in some new checks on goods moving between Great Britain and Northern Ireland and has been denounced by unionist politicians for driving a wedge between their community and the rest of the UK.
The Good Friday agreement had established a devolved legislature in Northern Ireland - the Northern Ireland Assembly. However, it has lacked a functioning executive as the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) - the second-largest party in recent elections - oppose the protocol and refuse to take part in a power-sharing government until the issue has been resolved.
Furthermore, earlier in the year, Truss, in her capacity as UK Foreign Secretary, proposed the NIP Bill, that would override parts of the protocol. Introduced in June, the legislation would allow for unilaterally revising provisions of deal, which the UK government has argued is not working, as it causes delays and interruptions to goods moving between the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland.
The Bill stipulates the establishment of a "green channel" for goods destined for Northern Ireland, whereas trucks taking goods through the region across the open border into the Republic of Ireland - and thus the EU single market - would face “red channel” checks. It also stipulated ending the role of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in enforcing the NIP, and would also remove EU control over state aid and the value added tax in the region.
This move incensed the EU and spurred Brussels to take legal action against the UK.