Biden is one of lots of Americans who, if they can find any sign of a Northern Ireland or Eire heritage in their family tree going back numerous generations, will cling to it. Anyone negatively affecting Northern Ireland or Eire cannot be popular with an American who has such heritage.

The UK Conservative government has made an incredibly horrible mess of the Northern Ireland Protocol, thus p­issing off Northern Ireland, Eire and the EU.

So it is no surprise that an American president, whose great great grandfather was born in Ballina, Eire in 1832 makes much of it. It is this heritage and the UK government's incredibly poor handling of the Northern Ireland Protocol that has caused the refusal of the Biden presidency to contemplate a UK trade deal with America. Even when the Biden presidency is over it is quite likely that the next president may have either Eire or Northern Ireland heritage somewhere in his her history. There seems to be little chance of pleasing anyone in the whole of geographical Ireland, regarding the Northern Ireland Protocol.

This is yet another substantial blow against a Conservative government that was already limping towards the next General Election.