Social Democratic and Labour Party Leader Colum Eastwood has welcomed an intervention on the Protocol from US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Mrs Pelosi expressed concern at the British government’s plans to discard parts of the Protocol and said it could threaten a trade deal with the US.

Mr Eastwood urged the British government to see sense and pull back from their plans to legislate on the Protocol before has a catastrophic impact.

Foyle MP Mr Eastwood said:

“I welcome this intervention from Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She has been clear that the Good Friday Agreement must be respected or it would have serious consequences for the British government. If they continue on their current path they will cause catastrophic harm to everyone involved and they will end up the ultimate losers. A trade war with the EU will cause suffering for everyone and it will be ordinary people, currently dealing with the worst cost-of-living crisis in living memory, who’ll suffer the most.

“The time has come for the British government to stop their intransigence and step back from the brink. The issues around the Protocol will only be solved through negotiation, and I’m urging the British government to listen to Mrs Pelsoi’s words and constructively work with the EU to reach an agreement so we can put the Protocol to bed and get back to dealing with the problems impacting our communities.”