UK will struggle for US trade unless Internal Markets Bill is scrapped, says former Taoiseach

7 November 2020, 13:27 | Updated: 7 November 2020, 13:42

Former Taoiseach on possible post-Brexit deal with US after election

Regardless of the winner of the US Election, the Government will struggle to get a trade deal while the internal markets bill stands to risk peace in Ireland.

"The clause in the internal market bill is a straightforward breach of the treaty that the same government signed up to only a year ago, those clauses will simply have to be withdrawn," said former Taoiseach John Bruton.

"It has nothing to do with whether it's Biden or Trump," he added when Matt Frei asked which of the two US Presidential candidates would be easier to negotiate with.

"You would have found quite a number of people in the United States Senate that don't have a high regard for countries who break their treaties."

He reminded Matt Frei that while the Internal Markets Bill stands to risk the viability of the Good Friday Agreement, the UK will struggle to negotiate a deal with the USA.

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Mr Bruton argued that this isn't a partisan issue: "Both parties in the United States had a hand in creating" the Good Friday Agreement.

Matt pushed the former Irish leader, asking who he thought would give Britain "a harder time in trade negotiations."

"I wouldn't underestimate either of them," Mr Bruton insisted.

"Either Democrats or Republicans will be quite tough on this."