A change in government leadership in London has resulted in a new Northern Ireland Secretary of State.
And President Biden has spoken by phone with new British Prime minister Liz Truss. Among the topics covered was the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Chris Heaton-Harris is the third person to serve as Secretary of State this calendar year after being appointed by Truss. He is the 24th Secretary of State for Northern Ireland going back to 1972.
The Irish Times was reporting that Mr. Heaton-Harris "has stressed his government’s commitment to a 'negotiated solution' with the EU over the Northern Ireland protocol during his first Northern Ireland question time in his new role.
Speaking in the House of Commons on Wednesday morning, Heaton-Harris, according to the Times report, repeatedly emphasized the UK’s preference was to resolve the issues through negotiation but added that if this was not forthcoming, “we will legislate."
“I think everything can be sorted out by negotiations, but we do have legislation which we will use if not.”
It's unlikely that Brussels will warm to an offer to negotiate accompanied, almost in the same breath, by a threat.
Mr. Heaton-Harris did stress that he wanted to see the Democratic Unionist Party to end its boycott of Stormont
“I know the House shares my view that Northern Ireland needs a stable, fully functioning, devolved government to deliver on the issues that matter to people most," he told the House of Commons.
That would be extremely unlikely so long as the Protocol exists in its present form, a form previously negotiated and agreed to by the British government under Boris Johnson.
With regard to negotiations with the European Union, Mr. Heaton-Harris's background would appear to signal a hard stance from the outset.
He was Minister of State for Europe under then Foreign Secretary Liz Truss from 2021 to 2022 and chairman of the European Research Group from 2010 to 2016. The ERG was, and remains, a hardline booster for Brexit.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has stressed the importance of reaching an agreement with the EU over post-Brexit legislation on Northern Ireland in his first phone call with Prime Minister Truss.
The White House, on its website, posted this account of the call between the president and Ms. Truss.
"President Joseph R. Biden Jr. spoke today with Prime Minister Liz Truss of the United Kingdom to offer his congratulations. The leaders reaffirmed the special relationship between our countries and expressed their readiness to further deepen those ties.
"President Biden and Prime Minister Truss discussed the importance of continued close cooperation on global challenges, including supporting Ukraine as it defends itself against Russian aggression, addressing the challenges posed by China, preventing Iran from ever acquiring a nuclear weapon, and securing sustainable and affordable energy resources.
"They also discussed their shared commitment to protecting the gains of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement and the importance of reaching a negotiated agreement with the European Union on the Northern Ireland Protocol."
