Summary

  • MPs vote in favour of regulations to implement the Stormont Brake section of Rishi Sunak's Windsor Framework deal

  • The deal aims to fix post-Brexit problems in Northern Ireland - the Stormont Brake gives Assembly members the chance to raise objections

  • Despite dissent from his own MPs, the controversial part of the deal is approved by 515 votes to 29

  • Several high-profile Tory MPs said they would vote against it - Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Priti Patel among them

  • The DUP did not support it - it has been boycotting the NI Assembly due to the current post-Brexit trading arrangements

  • Members of a key group of Eurosceptic Tory MPs also advised members to vote against it

  1. A big day in Westminster... and it's not over yetpublished at 15:51 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2023

    Boris Johnson

    If you have your ear to the ground you'll know that all the action is going on in one of Westminster's committee rooms, where Boris Johnson is being grilled about whether he intentionally misled Parliament over lockdown parties.

    Our colleagues have been following all the action live - you can join them here as they unravel the evidence that's being presented.

    On this page, now that we know who voted against the Stormont Brake element of the Windsor Framework deal, we're going to wrap things up.

    If you want a quick take on what happened in the Commons today, read this.

    And if you want to read about the Brexit deal for Northern Ireland in more depth, there's much more detail and analysis from our experts on our Brexit topic page and our Northern Ireland page.

    Thanks for joining us, have a great afternoon.

  2. Sunak's got support... but Johnson's intervention may stick in his mindpublished at 15:46 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2023

    Damian Grammaticas
    Political correspondent

    So the number of Conservatives who chose to oppose Rishi Sunak has fallen short of something that could really threaten him.

    However, one thing worth noting is that a large number of MPs, more than a hundred, didn’t cast votes at all. Some may have had genuine reasons why they couldn’t vote today.

    But 48 it seems were Conservatives. Were some of them MPs who didn’t like Mr Sunak’s deal but didn’t want to openly oppose him at this juncture?

    And one niggle that may just linger in Mr Sunak’s mind is Boris Johnson’s intervention. He made it clear he was going to vote against the deal.

    Why? Well Mr Johnson may have calculated that this rebellion would not be that large. But he could position himself for the future.

    To be able to say he’d stood against this deal. To be able to bide his time in the background and see if any opportunity to capitalise presents itself.

  3. DUP MP says Stormont Brake is a 'fake'published at 15:44 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2023

    DUP MP for East Antrim, Sammy Wilson, who voted against the Stormont Brake criticises the government on Twitter.

    "It’s not a brake at all, it’s a fake," he tweets., external

    He says the government is "consenting to the supremacy of EU law in Northern Ireland".

    Meanwhile The Alliance Party leader Naomi Long took to Twitter after the vote to call for a return to Stormont.

    Her party has "some reservations" about the Stormont Brake but gives the Windsor Framework a "broad welcome".

    She says time is being "wasted".

    "We can't afford it. We need to be allowed to get back to work. Now. No more excuses. No more delays," she tweets., external

  4. Northern Ireland's secretary of state welcomes 'progress'published at 15:31 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2023

    Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris says he's pleased to see "progress made" with today's vote.

    He says that the Stormont Brake "lies at the very heart of the Windsor Framework".

    In a statement, he says parliament has voted to support the framework and "approve the Statutory Instrument related to the Stormont Brake".

    He adds that it "offers the best deal for Northern Ireland, safeguarding its place in the union and addressing the democratic deficit".

    “By voting in favour of the Stormont Brake, we have voted to ensure that the people of Northern Ireland, through a restored Executive, will have full democratic input to the laws that apply to them," he adds.

    Heaton-Harris says the Stormont Brake, along with other parts of the Windsor Framework, supports "stability and prosperity in Northern Ireland".

  5. Who are the 22 Tory rebels?published at 15:19 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2023

    In the end, only 22 Tory MPs voted against the Stormont Brake, fewer than Rishi Sunak might have feared.

    But there are some striking names on that list, which includes two ex-prime ministers, a former party leader and other recognisable names. See it in full below.

    • Adam Afriyie
    • Sir Jake Berry
    • Peter Bone
    • Sir William Cash
    • Sir Christopher Chope
    • Simon Clarke
    • Richard Drax
    • Sir James Duddridge
    • Sir Iain Duncan Smith
    • Mark Francois
    • Jonathan Gullis
    • Adam Holloway
    • Andrea Jenkyns
    • Boris Johnson
    • David Jones
    • Danny Kruger
    • Craig Mackinlay
    • Dr Matthew Offord
    • Priti Patel
    • John Redwood
    • Jacob Rees-Mogg
    • Liz Truss

    They were joined in the voting lobbies by six DUP MPs and Andrew Bridgen, a suspended Tory who now sits as an independent.

    The Stormont brake passed comfortably, but it's worth noting that without support from Labour and other opposition parties, the government would have lost the vote.

    In the end, 48 Tory MPs didn't vote at all and only 280 - well below a parliamentary majority - positively voted with the government.

  6. Some Tories rebel, but not enough to threaten Sunakpublished at 15:03 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2023

    Damian Grammaticas
    Political correspondent

    At a glance the rebellion against Rishi Sunak from within his own party looks to have been underwhelming.

    If 29 MPs voted against the government, and 6 of those were likely to be DUP MPs, the true number of Tories voting against Mr Sunak may be around a maximum of 23.

    The key number for Mr Sunak is his working majority in Parliament, around 67. His critics in his party would need half that to be able to threaten his majority. They didn’t get it.

    Mr Sunak may sleep a little easy tonight.

  7. Does today’s vote bring us any closer to functioning devolution?published at 14:55 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2023

    Darran Marshall
    BBC News NI Political Correspondent

    So there we have it. After 90 minutes of debate, MPs have voted in favour of the Stormont Brake.

    That’s the element that would allow Assembly members to object to any new EU legislation applying in Northern Ireland.

    But the Stormont brake could only operates if there’s a sitting Assembly.

    So the big question is, does today’s vote bring us any closer to functioning devolution?

    The short answer is no. But it doesn’t necessarily push power-sharing further away.

    Sir Jeffrey Donaldson tweeted that there was no basis for restoring Stormont "at this stage".

    The reality is that we are unlikely to see Members of the Legislative Assembly back on the blue benches, or ministers back in Stormont Castle in the short term.

    The Good Friday Agreement’s 25th anniversary, a US presidential visit, and May’s local council elections are all likely to come and go before there’s a serious prospect of Michelle O’Neill and a DUP deputy first minister taking up office.

  8. How many MPs voted for the Windsor Framework?published at 14:41 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2023

    The results numbers are as follows:

    Ayes: 515

    Noes: 29

    Majority: 486

  9. MPs approve Windsor Framework planspublished at 14:40 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2023
    Breaking

    MPs have voted in favour of the Windsor Framework, the Speaker has announced.

  10. MPs return for resultpublished at 14:35 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2023

    Commons

    The Commons is slowly starting to fill up again, with the result of the vote on the Stormont Brake to be announced very soon.

  11. What’s the state of political play in Northern Ireland?published at 14:31 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2023

    Stormont buildingsImage source, Getty Images

    Today’s vote is on a key part of the deal known as the Stormont Brake.

    But what’s been happening in Stormont – the seat of Northern Ireland’s power-sharing executive?

    There’s a deadlock currently in NI politics.

    Northern Ireland has been without a power-sharing government since its second-largest party, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), collapsed the Stormont executive in February 2022 over its opposition to the trade arrangements for Northern Ireland that resulted from the original Brexit deal between the UK and the EU.

    There have been numerous deadlock talks led by NI Secretary Chris Heaton Harris aimed at restoring the executive – all of which have failed.

    The PM’s solution to the problems presented by the NI protocol is the Windsor Framework – but the DUP has already said it’ll vote no today but wants to continue to engage with government over the issue.

  12. 'It's done, it's over' - SDLP leader appeals to DUPpublished at 14:30 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2023

    Whilst we wait, here's a bit more from the leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party - which has voiced support for the Windsor Framework despite concerns over the Stormont Brake.

    "If the DUP still refuse to go into government after this," then increasingly the public will believe that Northern Ireland "should be part of a new Ireland," SDLP leader Colum Eastwood tells MPs.

    "It's done, it's over, the negotiation is finished," he says, it is time to deal with "the crisis in our health service" and it's time to "come back together again and work on common ground".

  13. MPs begin vote on Windsor Framework planspublished at 14:22 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2023
    Breaking

    The debate over the Windsor Framework has finished and MPs are now dividing into the lobbies.

    We'll bring you the results as soon as we get them.

  14. Dissatisfaction... but not enough to derail the dealpublished at 14:21 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2023

    Damian Grammaticas
    Political correspondent

    The government has made clear that this is going to be the only debate and vote MPs get on the new Northern Ireland deal.

    That has caused much frustration among those MPs who don’t like the deal, and it’s been evident in their interventions.

    It’s not a full dissection of the whole Windsor Framework Rishi Sunak agreed with the EU, just on one specific part of it. That means the debate has been limited in scope and in time.

    So the interventions have come thick and fast. But much of the back and forth has been bitty and technical, revolving around the so-called Stormont Brake, EU law, even the benefits of the deal for potato growers, the debate hasn’t really sparked to life.

    And despite the fact Northern Ireland’s Unionists and some Conservatives have been airing their dissatisfaction, it’s clear there’s cross-party support for the deal.

    Conservatives, Labour, Northern Ireland’s SDLP and Alliance Parties are all saying “it does represent material and real progress” and “a serious and significant” improvement on Boris Johnson’s deal.

  15. DUP accused of 'punishing the public'published at 14:18 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2023

    Sinn Féin's deputy leader is urging the restoration of Stormont - the seat of Northern Ireland's power-sharing executive.

    Northern Ireland has been without a power-sharing government since its second-largest party, the DUP, collapsed the executive in February last year over its opposition to the trade arrangements for Northern Ireland that resulted from the original Brexit deal between the UK and EU.

    In a tweet, Michelle O'Neill says her party is "ready to form an executive today and deliver for workers and families."

    She accuses the DUP of "punishing" the public with a "futile and shameful boycott".

    "The public want and deserve an executive to support them through the cost of living, to help fix the health service, to build a better future for all our people," she adds., external

    The DUP has said the party is committed to the restoration of the political institutions "under the right circumstances".

  16. What do other Northern Ireland parties think of framework?published at 14:15 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2023

    The DUP is currently objecting to the new deal but what about other parties in Northern Ireland?

    The four other largest parties welcome the deal – but some have reservations around the Stormont Brake.

    Sinn Féin – which does not take its seats in parliament - says it “cautiously welcomes” the framework.

    The Social Democratic and Labour Party supports the framework but notes “serious concerns about the operation of the Stormont Brake”.

    The Alliance Party says that while it too has some concerns around the Stormont Brake it gives the Windsor Framework a “broad welcome”.

    The Ulster Unionist Party says while “further reforms are necessary” the framework is an “important stepping stone on rectifying many of the unwarranted challenges from the previous Northern Ireland Protocol".

  17. DUP not budging an inchpublished at 14:13 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2023

    Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, leader of Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party, has reaffirmed in the Commons what we already knew: his party will not back the Windsor Framework or vote for the Stormont Brake today.

    He says of Sunak's deal that "whilst undoubtedly improvements have been made, we have not yet fully addressed the fundamental problem" of EU law applying to Northern Irish industry.

    The government will win the vote today without the DUP's support but any chance of the Stormont executive getting back up and running requires the party, the largest on the unionist side of Northern Irish politics, to co-operate.

    It's unclear how that situation - which has been ongoing since February 2022 - is going to be resolved after today.

    Pressed on getting Stormont functioning again, Sir Jeffrey was unrepentant about the party pulling its ministers out, saying "I had to take action, and it was our action that brought the EU back to the table".

  18. Brexit or Boris... we're following them bothpublished at 14:10 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2023

    Commons chamber

    It's hectic in Westminster today.

    First we saw Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer go head to head at Prime Minister's Questions. The two leaders battled it out over the report into the Met police, crime rates, and Partygate.

    It was a lively back and forth, to say the least, with both sides of the House erupting into jeers and cheers enough times to prompt Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle to order silence.

    Now, MPs are debating the Windsor Framework - the government's plan to deal with post-Brexit trade issues in Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris opened the debate earlier by saying the deal is a "massive step forward".

    But that's not all. The House will soon vote on the Stormont Brake element of the proposal. We'll be bringing you the result of that vote when it comes.

    Boris Johnson at privileges committee

    And if that isn't enough political drama for you, former prime minister Boris Johnson is appearing before committee of MPs for a grilling on whether he intentionally misled Parliament over lockdown parties. You can find comprehensive live coverage on that from our colleagues here.

  19. Jacob Rees-Mogg voting against governmentpublished at 14:04 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2023

    Jacob Rees-Mogg in the GB News studioImage source, PA Media

    Also among the Tory MPs who have signalled they will be voting against the Windsor Framework today is Jacob Rees-Mogg.

    Rees-Mogg, who used to the chair the ERG and served in governments under both Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, tells the BBC's World at One programme he will be voting against the government despite being in favour of the Stormont Brake mechanism which he says "could turn out to be useful".

    Like Johnson, Rees-Mogg says Rishi Sunak’s deal “solidifies some of the problems with the [existing] protocol” and argues it would have been better for the government to proceed with the Northern Ireland protocol bill.

  20. Veteran Brexiteer Bill Cash says Northern Ireland still 'subjugated' to EUpublished at 14:01 Greenwich Mean Time 22 March 2023

    Veteran Tory Brexiteer Sir Bill Cash confirms that he will vote against the deal.

    He dismisses Heaton-Harris's argument that the framework restores sovereignty to Northern Ireland, saying there is only Westminster sovereignty.

    Cash adds that it is "unthinkable" that the EU is continuing to pass laws that affect Northern Ireland, behind closed doors. Northern Ireland is still "subjugated" to laws made in Brussels, he argues.