Northern Ireland to get new Brexit trading rules in deal to restore power sharing

New rules to smooth post-Brexit trade between Britain and Northern Ireland have been published by the government as part of a deal with the Democratic Unionist party that will restore the Stormont executive and install a Sinn Féin first minister.

- Rory Carroll , Eleni Courea

A command paper, titled Safeguarding the Union, was published yesterday to allay DUP fears about Northern Ireland's place in the UK and to end a two-year boycott of power sharing that has destabilised the country.

The measures remove routine checks on goods from Britain that are destined to remain in Northern Ireland and replaces them with a "UK internal market system" for goods that remain within the UK.

The government has promised to amend domestic law so that new EU laws will not automatically apply in Northern Ireland and must first be subject to democratic oversight by the Stormont assembly. The 76-page command paper also includes legislative measures to be fast-tracked through Westminster today - to affirm Northern Ireland's constitutional position in the UK.

Downing Street said the deal entailed significant changes to the "operation" of the post-Brexit 

Windsor framework without altering its "fundamentals".

Rishi Sunak told the Commons the proposals would end Northern Ireland's deadlock. "After two years without an executive, there is now a prospect of power sharing back up and running, strengthening our union, giving people the local, accountable government that they need, and offering a brighter future for Northern Ireland," he said.