Former NI Secretary to lead post-Brexit arrangement review
Former Northern Ireland Secretary Paul Murphy is to lead an independent review of the post-Brexit trading arrangements.
The review has been commissioned by the government following a vote in the assembly last month to continue with the arrangements for another four years.
The move, which was announced on Thursday, is in keeping with the government's legal obligations following that vote.
The so-called democratic consent motion was passed by 48 votes to 36 after a six hour debate in the assembly chamber in December, but as it did not have the support of unionists the government was obliged to commission an independent review.
This was agreed between the UK and EU in the 2020 Withdrawal Agreement.
The arrangement was also included in the revised agreement called the Windsor Framework - an amended post-Brexit agreement in 2023 which effectively keeps Northern Ireland inside the EU's single market for goods.
The review is set to run for six months and will be led by Lord Murphy, a Labour peer in the House of Lords, who has also served as the secretary of state for Wales.
The government will then be required to respond to any recommendations put forward by review body.
The current Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn said the vote last month marked an important step forward for the Windsor Framework trading arrangements.
Confirming Lord Murphy's appointment he said the peer had a "deep understanding of the bonds between the nations and UK".
He added Lord Murphy also had an "appreciation of the operation of the strands of the Good Friday Agreement" and "was held in high regard across communities in Northern Ireland".