Brexiteers have lined up to tell US presidential candidate Joe Biden not to ‘lecture’ Britain on Northern Ireland and Brexit.
Failed former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith (IDS) is said to have been angered by the Democrat’s warning about Boris Johnson tearing up parts of the already agreed Brexit deal with the EU which related to Northern Ireland.
The presidential nominee for the White House said a future trade deal between the US and UK could only happen if the peace agreement was respected.
IDS told the Times: “We don’t need lectures on the Northern Ireland peace deal from Mr Biden. If I were him I would worry more about the need for a peace deal in the USA to stop the killing and rioting before lecturing other sovereign nations.”
David Davis, a former Brexit secretary, was another pro-Brexit MP to join in the criticisms.
“Perhaps Mr Biden should talk to the EU since the only threat of an invisible border in Ireland would be if they insisted on levying tariffs.”
Conor Burns MP, a former Tory minister who was forced to resign after a standards committee found him guilty of wrongdoing, tweeted: “Hey Joe Biden, would you like to discuss the Good Friday agreement? It is also called the Belfast Agreement so it doesn’t offend both traditions. Did you actually know that? I was born in NI and I’m a Catholic and a Unionist. Here if you need help.”
Joy Morrisey, an fellow Brexiteer, claimed the comments were “clearly all about the Irish American vote”.
On IDS’ remarks there was a mix of condemnation and hilarity about the response.
“They really do believe they’re returning to the days of the British Empire,” said Mike Galsworthy.
“Iain Duncan Smith appears to have forgotten that Joe Biden… is not president” wrote William Kedjanyi.
“Shouldn’t IDS be asking the actual current president to tackle the rioting?” asked another.
Alastair Campbell tweeted: “He is not ‘lecturing’ but pointing out the inevitable consequences of the reckless dangerous and illegal gambit IDS has, in his craven ideology, chosen to support.”
Matthew O’Toole commented: “The quiet man just turned up the volume. Yet still no one in the United States knows or cares who he is.”