Britain’s Raab says ball in EU’s court over N.Ireland issue

Britain’s foreign minister Dominic Raab said that it was up to the European Union to respond to the UK’s proposals on resolving the Northern Irish trade issue.

“The ball’s very much in the EU’s court,” Raab told Sky News on Friday.

“We’ve put forward proposals, it’s up to the EU now to come forward with a way that delivers win win, rather than the divisive approach we’ve seen recently.”

A bilateral meeting between British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and U.S. President Joe Biden was “incredibly warm” but Raab said that the pair did not “linger” on discussions on the Northern Irish issue.

He also added that  U.S. President Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson discussed opening a transatlantic travel corridor at their bilateral meeting on Thursday, but no announcement was imminent.

“It was something that was discussed yesterday and we’ve got an idea about how to take it forward, but it’s not something we’ll be announcing imminently,” Raab told Sky news on Friday.

Biden and Johnson met in Cornwall, southwest England, before the start of the G7 Summit on Friday.

Photo: British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab. EPA-EFE/MENAHEM KAHANA / POOL