Brexit: MPs want greater scrutiny of NI protocol

The chairs of nine Westminster committees have asked the government to give Parliament an ongoing role in scrutinising the Northern Ireland part of the Brexit deal.

The NI "protocol" is due to come into effect at the end of this year.

It will mean that NI continues to follow many rules of the single market while the rest of the UK will not.

There will be new controls and checks on goods entering NI from elsewhere in the UK.

It will also mean when relevant EU laws are amended or new ones are drawn up, they will also apply in Northern Ireland.

There is a process for dealing with new legislation through the EU-UK Joint Committee, the body which will oversee the implementation of the wider Brexit deal.

But the MPs who chair the committees say Parliament must also have a role.

In a joint letter they said: "We ask that the Government proposes a mechanism for scrutiny of the implementation and application of the Northern Ireland Protocol after the end of the transition period."

They added "as a minimum" the European Scrutiny Committee and the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee should be notified of relevant draft legislation at the earliest opportunity.

They also want ministers to accept any request by either committee to give evidence on any issues arising and how this legislation is to be implemented.