Senior US politician: Post-Brexit trade deal ‘desirable’, but not if it ‘jeopardises’ Good Friday Agreement

One of the most powerful American politicians has dismissed any post-Brexit trade deal that risks peace in Northern Ireland.

The chair of the ways and means committee, which handles tax, Congressman Richard Neal said the United States “will not entertain” any proposal that undermines the Good Friday Agreement.

Speaking to The Guardian, the 73-year-old Democrat dismissed any agreement “if there is any jeopardy” to the arrangement with Northern Ireland.

The Good Friday Agreement was signed in 1998 which contributed to ending the decades of violence, and facilitated trade between the north, the Republic and Britain.

With Brexit, some have said the creation of a hard-border between Britain, including northern Ireland, and EU member state Ireland, could roll back the process of peace.

Speaking about a possible trade deal between post-Brexit Britain and the US, Neal told the Guardian it was “desirable – there’s no question about that.

“But what I’m not open to is holding the Good Friday agreement hostage over domestic politics.”