Joe Biden greeted by Sunak as he arrives in Northern Ireland
Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith has warned that Joe Biden is the biggest obstacle to resolving the outstanding issues on Brexit.
The claims came at the unveiling of a report on the Northern Ireland crisis by the Centre for Brexit Policy (CBP) which was introduced by Sir Iain.
The Tory grandee and leading Brexiteer who has strong connections in the US then blasted Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for the Windsor Framework which he described as “worse than the Protocol” negotiated by Boris Johnson on a temporary basis.
He added: “It was just done to placate Biden.”
He accused the US President of being anti-British and in cahoots with the European Union.
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Sir Iain reminded the packed audience at the report launch that Mr Biden had even insulted the UK by saying he had needed to visit Northern Ireland “to make sure the British don’t screw it up”.
He compounded the problem by turning a planned full bilateral with Mr Sunak into an awkward meeting in a coffee shop.
US sources have claimed to the Daily Express US that the President had received a special briefing after his Northern Ireland visit to say he had insulted America’s number one ally.
The source said: “Neither the President nor the people seemed to understand why.”
This was followed by Mr Sunak being invited to the White House for proper talks in a bid to smooth the relationship over.
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But Sir Iain said that his understanding is that a Republican President in the White House will be much more helpful for the UK.
The CBP report suggested a system of “mutual enforcement” used by the EU with other partners around the world including New Zealand.
This means that no border checks are necessary and the two sides simply make sure items to be exported to the other jurisdiction comply with their regulations.
The proposal was endorsed by DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson but Sir Iain warned there is currently “no appetite” for the UK Government to move on from the Windsor Framework.
He added: “
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