U.S. Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut will visit London, Belfast and Dublin this week as the United Kingdom struggles to reach a deal to leave the European Union.
Murphy’s trip comes little more than a week before the Brexit deadline. He says he’s worried a hasty or sloppy Brexit deal will threaten the long-term peace process in Northern Ireland. The British country shares an island with E.U. nation Ireland, but not a hard border.
“If Britain leaves the European Union, Northern Ireland leaves as well. You would need to re-establish a hard border with checkpoints, with customs offices, all along that frontier. That is unacceptable", he said.
British lawmakers are asking the E.U. to delay Brexit to avert a chaotic U.K. departure after twice rejecting Prime Minister Theresa May's proposed withdrawal agreement.
