Good morning. Last night, Joe Biden was greeted in Belfast by Rishi Sunak; today, he will deliver a keynote address at Ulster University’s campus to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement before heading to the Republic of Ireland. And while “the most Irish president since JFK” will stop to pay respects to his ancestors and meet relatives in County Mayo and County Louth after he goes to Dublin, this trip is about more than heritage tourism.
With the devolved Northern Ireland assembly still not functioning and the shape of the cross-border relationship changing because of Sunak’s post-Brexit deal, Biden said that his priorities for the trip were to “make sure the Irish accords and Windsor agreements stay in place. Keep the peace and that’s the main thing”.
