News analysis

UK's reputation suffers amid dispute with EU over Brexit deal

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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's plans to introduce new legislation allowing his government to ignore treaty obligations which his country made to the European Union have suffered a serious setback after Mr Joe Biden, the leading American presidential candidate, warned that such a move would endanger Britain's chances of signing any free trade deal with the US.

In a tweet released just as top British diplomats were in Washington seeking to reassure US officials, Mr Biden warned that any trade deal between the United States and Britain "must be contingent upon respect" for international treaties, and particularly those between Britain and Ireland, the only country with which the British have a land border.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on September 18, 2020, with the headline UK's reputation suffers amid dispute with EU over Brexit deal. Subscribe