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Stormont assembly members have voted to continue Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit trade arrangements for at least another four years. The process, known as the democratic consent motion, was first agreed between the UK and EU in the 2020 Withdrawal Agreement to give local politicians a say in the new post-Brexit trading rules.
After a debate lasting six hours in the assembly, the motion passed by 48 to 36 votes. The arrangement, the Windsor Framework, was agreed between the UK and EU in 2023 and effectively keeps Northern Ireland inside the EU’s single market for goods.
The three unionist parties opposed extending the arrangements while Sinn Féin, Alliance and the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) were among those who voted in favour.
Controversially, unlike other votes at Stormont, there was no requirement for cross-community support for the motion. A simple majority was enough.
The motion was tabled jointly by Sinn Féin, Alliance and the SDLP. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and other unionist parties argued the vote created a democratic deficit as the concerns of unionists, who are in the minority at Stormont, could be ignored.
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Hilary Benn, said the vote at Stormont marked an “important step forward” for the Windsor Framework trading arrangements.
However, DUP assembly member Emma Little-Pengelly, Deputy First Minister, described the vote as “rigged” and said it “tears asunder” the cross-community principles of the Good Friday Agreement.
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