Friday 20 May 2022 08:13 AM US wades into Northern Ireland Brexit rules row with warning to Boris trends now US warns there could be NO Transatlantic trade deal as it wades into Northern Ireland Brexit row and Nancy Pelosi brands Boris's plan to ditch protocol 'deeply concerning' US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has waded into Northern Ireland protocol row She warned of no Transatlantic trade deal if UK risks Good Friday Agreement Boris Johnson insists unilateral action might be necessary to maintain NI peace By James Tapsfield, Political Editor For Mailonline Published: 08:06 BST, 20 May 2022 | Updated: 08:09 BST, 20 May 2022 Viewcomments The US has waded into the Northern Ireland Brexit rules row warning that all hopes of a Transatlantic trade deal will be off if Boris Johnson puts peace at risk. In a stark message, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi branded the PM's threat to axe the protocol 'deeply concerning'. And she insisted there is no chance of the US Congress support a free trade pact with the UK if the Good Friday Agreement is undermined. The intervention will set alarm bells ringing in Downing Street after months of efforts to convince Joe Biden's White House that the protocol is the source of rising sectarian tensions in the province. Ms Pelosi said in a statement: 'The Good Friday Accords are the bedrock of peace in Northern Ireland and a beacon of hope for the entire world. 'Ensuring there remains no physical border between the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland is absolutely necessary for upholding this landmark agreement, which has transformed Northern Ireland.' In a stark message, House speaker Nancy Pelosi branded the PM's threat to axe the protocol 'deeply concerning' The intervention will set alarm bells ringing in Downing Street after months of efforts to convince the White House the protocol is the source of rising sectarian tensions in the province (pictured) Sinn Fein won Stormont elections earlier this month, but no executive has been formed because the DUP will not nominate a deputy first minister unless the protocol is fundamentally overhauled. They insist that the rules effectively create a border in the Irish Sea, and separate Northern Ireland from mainland Britain. Power-sharing rules in the peace agreement mean that both unionists and republicans must participate in order for the administration to function. This week, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss announced plans to legislate to override parts of the Brexit withdrawal treaty the UK struck with the EU. However, the government has stopped short of publishing the law and appears to be taking a softer approach to the crisis. The EU has said that the wider post-Brexit trade deal could be at risk if Mr Johnson follows through on scrapping the protocol - a move which he says might be necessary to maintain peace. The PM signed up to the post-Brexit arrangements but says they are being applied too harshly by the EU. Ms Pelosi said on Twitter: '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. '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 fulfillment.' Ms Pelosi branded the PM's (pictured in Westminster yesterday) threat to axe the protocol 'deeply concerning' Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility