Protecting Good Friday Agreement not a factor in US-UK trade deal delay, official says

Follows report that trade talks stalled over US congressional concerns about British threats to suspend parts of the Brexit agreement dealing with Northern Ireland.

Biden administration officials have expressed grave concerns that disagreement between London and Brussels over the implementation of the 2020 Brexit treaty could undermine the Good Friday peace agreement. File Picture.

A US administration official said the country's failure to remove tariffs on UK steel and aluminium has no connection to concerns about post-Brexit trade rules affecting Northern Ireland, rejecting a recent report.

Former US President Donald Trump slapped 25% and 10% tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from the European Union in 2018. The tariffs were withdrawn in October of this year, but they remain in place for Britain due to its exit from the EU.