Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi has been slammed for “lecturing the UK” on Brexit.
Ms Pelosi waded in on the row over the Northern Ireland Protocol, warning that the UK’s plans to scrap part of the deal could impact its prospects of a trade deal with the US.
But now academic and journalist Kyle Orton has hit back at the Speaker’s comments, urging her to prioritise the US role in Northern Ireland instead.
US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi
Reuters
Liz Truss announced plans to scrap parts of the Protocol earlier this week
Victoria Jones
Referring to her tweet, he told his 42,000 Twitter followers: “Rather than lecturing the UK about its internal arrangements, your time would be better spent hunting down the people in the US who provided large proportions of the funds and weapons that made Northern Ireland a place of such carnage in the first place."
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss announced the plans to scrap some parts of the Protocol in the House of Commons earlier this week, a move which was slammed by the EU and parts of Northern Ireland.
Reacting to the plans, Ms Pelosi wrote a strongly-worded thread on her Twitter.
She wrote: “The Good Friday Accords are the bedrock of peace in Northern Ireland and a beacon of hope for the world.
“Ensuring there is no physical border between the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland is necessary for upholding this landmark agreement, which transformed Northern Ireland.
“It is deeply concerning that the United Kingdom now seeks to unilaterally discard the Northern Ireland Protocol, which preserves the important progress and stability forged by the Accords.
“It continues to enjoy strong bipartisan & bicameral support in the United States Congress."
She continued: “As I have stated in my conversations with the Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary & Members of the House of Commons, if the United Kingdom chooses to undermine the Good Friday Accords, the Congress cannot & will not support a bilateral free trade agreement with the UK.
“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.”