POLITICIANS from Ireland’s left-wing People Before Profit (PBP) party are set to boycott Joe Biden’s speech to the parliament in Dublin this evening.

The four PBP members of the Dail said that they objected to the US president using his address to both houses of the Irish parliament as a “soapbox” for his foreign policy agenda.

Parliamentarians will not be allowed to question Mr Biden after his address.

PBP TD Paul Murphy said it should be possible to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement at the same time as raising concerns about US foreign policy.

“All that Leinster House is being used for is a soapbox to push Biden’s agenda,” he said, referring to the building where the Irish parliament meets.

“We think it’s our duty to speak out about this and to draw attention to it.”

Mr Murphy complained that the whole occasion was being treated as “a visit by an interesting Irish-American celebrity, as opposed to a visit of the most powerful person in the world who needs to be asked hard questions about the kinds of policies that he is pursuing.”

In the absence of the opportunity to ask questions, he said that the best way to show opposition to Mr Biden was “by not participating in the whole thing.”

Mr Murphy added there was “no indication” that Sinn Fein, the official opposition in parliament, would raise any foreign policy criticisms with Mr Biden.

However, Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald, who leads the opposition in the Dail, said she shared concerns over US foreign policies, such as support for Israel, but she added that boycotting Mr Biden’s address was the “wrong choice.”

She insisted that her “port of call” in discussions with the US president would be Irish issues.

Mr Biden was expected to use his speech to underline his support for the Good Friday Agreement as well as the pride he feels in his Irish roots.