US Vice President urges EU to negotiate ‘in good faith’ on Brexit

US Vice President Mike Pence used a visit to Ireland on Tuesday to urge the European Union to negotiate “in good faith” with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and reach a Brexit deal that respects British sovereignty.

“The United States supports the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the European Union but we also recognize the unique challenges on your border and I can assure you we will continue to encourage the United Kingdom and Ireland to ensure any Brexit deal respects the Good Friday Agreement,” Pence told a joint news conference with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar.

“But as the deadline for Brexit approaches, we urge Ireland and the European Union as well to negotiate in good faith with Prime Minister Johnson and work to reach an agreement that respects the United Kingdom’s sovereignty and minimizes disruption to commerce.”

In a related development, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson lost his working majority in parliament on Tuesday when one of his Conservative lawmakers defected to the pro-European Union Liberal Democrats.