Brexit: NI business disruption needs to be fixed, says Lewis

Work has to be done to fix the "big disruption" to businesses and consumers in Northern Ireland, the secretary of state has said.

Brandon Lewis said people in the region should "have the same experience that they would anywhere else in the UK".

Appearing on the Andrew Marr Show, he was commenting on the impact of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

He also acknowledged a tweet he posted in January saying there was no sea border "had not aged well".

Earlier this week, Edwin Poots said the UK government had promised "a significant win" on the protocol.

He told BBC News NI he had "received assurances" from Mr Lewis and that they could emerge in early July.

The protocol is part of the UK-EU Brexit deal which keeps Northern Ireland aligned to the EU single market to ensure the free movement of goods across the Irish border.

It has been criticised by unionists because it has led to additional checks and delays on trade coming from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

Mr Lewis said issues around the Northern Ireland Protocol had come from its implementation.

"The purest way the EU want to see it, means we have seen disruption in Northern Ireland," he said.

"It not only isn't what people foresaw, but goes against the protocol itself."

Colin McGrath chairs the Executive Committee

He added: "The EU need to show the flexibility that they keep talking about."

Maroš Šefčovič, the vice president of the European Commission, is set to appear before Stormont's Committee for the Executive Office on Monday.

Writing on Twitter, professor of European politics at Queen's University Belfast, David Phinnemore, said the appearance was "an unprecedented event".

The SDLP's Colin McGrath, who chairs the committee Mr Šefčovič will be appearing before, said he hoped the committee's members could "take the opportunity to work together".

"I think everybody recognises that there are problems with the protocol. If we've learnt anything from 50 years in Northern Ireland, it's that you solve problems when you sit around the table and try and find solutions."