Finn Purdy
BBC News NI

That's all from our live coverage of events at Westminster, as MPs - as expected - have passed two pieces of legislation introduced as part of a deal to restore power-sharing a Stormont.

After today, the focus now shifts back to Belfast where we could see the return of the Northern Ireland Assembly by Saturday.

You can read more about today's events here and keep across all the latest this evening on the BBC News NI website; on Evening Extra on BBC Radio Ulster from 16:00 GMT; and on BBC Newsline at 18:30.

Thanks for joining us.

Brendan Hughes
BBC News NI political reporter

Earlier we reported that DUP peer Lord Dodds spoke about his concerns about the deal in the House of Lords.

The former deputy leader also said that the Irish Sea border "still exists" and that the “fundamentals of the Windsor Framework remain in place”.

Peers were discussing new legislation agreed as part of the government's deal with the DUP aimed at ending the party's boycott of power-sharing government in Northern Ireland.

On Monday, the party endorsed the deal - Lord Dodds said he welcomed aspects of it, such as the creation of new bodies InterTrade UK and the East-West Council.

But he said there were “many, many unionists who are deeply worried and concerned – and we must drill down into the details of this deal – that the Irish Sea border still exists”.

He said this was because “many goods coming from Great Britain, British goods coming to Northern Ireland, especially in manufacturing, still need to go through full EU compliance checks and procedures”.

What has happened to border inspections?published at 16:00 Greenwich Mean Time 1 February

16:00 GMT 1 February

One of the key sticking points with the post-Brexit trade arrangements has been inspections of goods arriving from Great Britain at Northern Ireland's ports.

Between the start of January 2021 and the end of September 2023 there was an average of about 400 such checks per day completed at Northern Ireland's ports, according to figures from DAERA, Northern Ireland's agriculture ministry.

On 1 October 2023 the Windsor Framework came into force, which introduced a new category for goods staying in Northern Ireland, known as the Northern Ireland retail movement scheme (NIRMS).

NIRMS allows businesses to move sealed consignments of goods with a single certificate and packing list that does not need to be signed off by a vet or plant health inspector.

But 10% of food consignments still need an identity check – that’s due to fall to 5% by the summer and eventually be phased out completely.

Since 1 October, the average number of inspections has stayed at around 400 a day, but about half of those have been NIRMS checks.

After three hours in the House of Commons, the debate on the Northern Ireland deal legislation has come to an end.

Both pieces of legislation have passed through the Commons unopposed, clearing the way for power-sharing government to be restored in Northern Ireland.

Here's the major points from another big day in Northern Ireland politics:

• Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said the deal is key to "strengthening the union and UK internal market" and it will "affirm, strengthen and futureproof Northern Ireland's place within the union"
• DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson added that his party have achieved "real changes"
• Sir Jeffrey also addressed his critics, saying: "When they are in a position to set out clearly for the people of Northern Ireland what they have achieved, I’ll consider discussing with them."
• However DUP MP Sammy Wilson said he did not support the deal, adding that he doesn’t think the way the legislation has been “hurried through” allows for examination of its detail

• SDLP leader Colum Eastwood also expressed concerns, saying the command paper undermines the Good Friday Agreement and questioned whether the government has "moved away from the principle of rigorous impartiality"
• Minister Steve Baker said the government will "work rapidly" to deliver on every aspect of the deal

Well that was quick - we were hoping to bring you live coverage of what's happening in the House of Lords, but the Northern Ireland section just wrapped up. The perils of overlapping debates...

Meanwhile next door in the House of Lords, the same legislation that has passed the Commons is being discussed by peers.

Among those offering contributions is the former DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds, who like Sammy Wilson in the Commons, is raising his concerns with the deal, perhaps further underlining the divisions in the DUP.

Lord Dodds says there are "many, many unionists who are deeply worried and concerned that... the Irish sea border still exists".

His party leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has said repeatedly that the deal means that the Irish Sea border is gone.

You can watch that debate in the Lords live by clicking the play button at the top of this page.

And the legislation guaranteeing Northern Irish goods can be sold in Great Britain passes.

Both pieces of legislation have now passed through the House of Commons, potentially clearing the way for power-sharing government to resume in Northern Ireland.

Minister Steve Baker is now back on his feet and is answering various points made during the debate.

He says the government will "work rapidly" to deliver on every aspect of the deal announced yesterday.

Baker also says the government is committed to looking at flexibilities around the issue of veterinary medicines, and that he expects they'll achieve that with the EU.

Sammy Wilson says the deal shows that there can be divergence in rules governing goods, leading to Sir Jeffrey Donaldson to highlight a section of the deal which indicates that the government will set out measures to protect Northern Ireland's place in the internal market.

The Northern Ireland minister thanks Donaldson and brings his remarks to a close.

Now to the final vote...

Sammy Wilson raises concerns over the “legislative litter” which he says is still around as a result of the arrangements which were in place for red and green lanes.

He also asks about the movement of goods between Northern Ireland and GB, which he says could remain an issue in the future as legislation could still be introduced which would impact on trade between the two countries.

He says the only assurance given is that a minister would have to assess the impact and report it to the House but “at the end of the day he could make a decision to proceed”.

He is speaking now and after that we're expecting the debate will return to Northern Ireland Minister Steve Baker for summing up.

Wilson starts by saying he does not support the deal.

He says it’s important to examine the detail and he doesn’t think the way the legislation been “hurried through” allows for this examination.

DUP MP Jim Shannon thanks all those involved in negotiations leading to the legislation before MPs for their "tireless" work.

He says that while what has been achieved is not all that he had hoped for, work to achieve further change must be done from within the House of Commons.

He says in speaking to constituents he explained that the DUP was not being "thran" in staying out of Stormont "at a time when money was being withheld" but was "taking seriously the economic and constitutional position of Northern Ireland within the union".

He says there is a "huge lack of trust" among Northern Ireland unionists for Westminster governments and asks for "further reassurance" from the government that this legislation "does what it says on the tin".

Julian Smith, a former Northern Ireland secretary, is now speaking, with the DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson intervening in his remarks to highlight another element of the command paper - a "special investment zone" for Northern Ireland.

It's been said it will deliver an extra £150m of funding to drive growth in the economy.

Smith says that the paper is "much more than a legislative document", adding that it is the "basis for building on the opportunities Northern Ireland has to conquer in multiple sectors of the economy".

Gavin Robinson says getting to this point has taken “much longer” than the DUP would have liked.

But he adds that the party wasn't prepared to settle for less than the deal that has now been agreed.

He says it has "resolved the unresolvable" in a way that will have "practical application for Northern Ireland and our place within this United Kingdom now and for a long time to come".

Gavin Robinson welcomes that primary legislation will be introduced to remove what he describes as the "legislative litter" that is retained in laws from 2017 about the "fictional all-island economy".

"It does not exist... we are not the same as the rest of the island of Ireland," he says.

Alliance MP Stephen Farry insists that the all-island economy does exist, saying that there are a number of companies in Northern Ireland that operate on an all-island basis. He cites the example of Coca-Cola which "is based in Lisburn but services the entire island".

Gavin Robinson says that Stephen Farry "knowingly confuses the point".

He says that Coca-Cola is an example of Northern Ireland's access to the EU single market but that the company does business "managing different tax regimes, managing different currencies", which he says demonstrates that there is no all-island economy.

DUP deputy leader, and East Belfast MP, Gavin Robinson says he's "proud to stand up in support" of the legislation in front of MPs.

He says that the DUP had taken a "principled position about the imposition of the Northern Ireland Protocol and the harm it has caused our country", at a time when "we were under significant pressure to accept our lot".

"What we were told couldn't happen - change to these texts, tablets of stone - happened," he says.

Enda McClafferty
BBC News NI political editor

They're sitting on the same bench but clearly don’t all share the same view of the deal secured by their party.

While Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has been talking up the positives of the agreement he negotiated, his colleague Sammy Wilson has been knocking them down.

The tension between the pair has been laid bare.

At one point the DUP leader suggested his colleague should read the agreement.

“I urge the member for East Antrim to read all the document” he said.

In another veiled swipe at his internal critics, Donaldson reminded the house that all his MPs supported the red lane arrangements in a previous bill.

The same arrangements some of his MPs complained about in the commons debate today.

There is no disguising the strains on the DUP bench, which are unlikely to ease anytime soon.

SNP Northern Ireland spokesperson Richard Thomson says that the fewer impediments to trade in the UK and with the EU the better.

He welcomes that this has been addressed for Northern Ireland with the new legislation.

Mr Thomson says that Northern Ireland now has a "highly advantageous situation in comparison to other parts of UK", adding that he hopes England, Wales and Scotland "will wish to rediscover that advantageous situation for themselves".

Former NI Secretary of State Theresa Villiers says that the job of delivering Brexit and ensuring the UK is governed by its own elected representatives "isn't yet finished when it comes to Northern Ireland".

She says that she wishes to pay tribute to the government and the DUP for their "efforts to tackle the problems with the Windsor Framework and to secure Northern Ireland's place within the UK internal market".

"My concern is that Northern Ireland will be subject to single market rules without having a vote on them," she adds.

She says that the "dialogue with the EU has to continue".

Hilary Benn dives into some of the technical aspects of the 'Safeguarding the Union' deal - and acknowledges that some people in Northern Ireland may not be studying the regulations the way MPs are but that they "clearly understand why they are essential to getting their government back".

He says he hopes this second piece of legislation will be passed unanimously, as the first one was.

"Once we’ve done our bit today it will be over to the politicians of Northern Ireland," he adds, wishing them all the best.

Steve Baker finishes his remarks to say that the institutional arrangements for Stormont and the government's £3.3bn financial package combined is a big opportunity.

"If Northern Ireland politicians reach out and grasp the opportunity before them - my goodness, they can make Northern Ireland a beacon before the world, a beacon of prosperity, I hope a beacon of reconciliation, and these regulations today are part of that process."

Now it's the turn of Shadow Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn.