New Northern Ireland Brexit trade rules approved paving way for power sharing

Assembly members are preparing to elect a speaker and appoint an executive led by Sinn Féin’s Michelle O’Neill. Photograph: Liam McBurney/PA

MPs have waved through the government’s latest post-Brexit Northern Ireland trade arrangements that pave the way for power-sharing to restart at Stormont after a two-year deadlock.

The House of Commons approved the changes on Thursday afternoon without a formal vote, despite Brexiters’ concerns about the region remaining under EU law.