To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the draft withdrawal agreement published
on 28 February by the European Commission, what assessment they have made of (1) the
possibility of Northern Ireland remaining subject to some EU laws after Brexit without
any elected representation in the EU institutions, and (2) whether such an outcome
would be consistent with British obligations under Article 3, Protocol 1 of the European
Convention on Human Rights, as interpreted and applied in the judgment of the European
Court of Human Rights in Matthews v UK, 1999.
<p>Following our exit from the EU, the UK will no longer be a Member State and will
no longer have elected representation in the EU institutions. With regard to the Northern
Ireland Protocol to the draft Withdrawal Agreement, the UK has been clear, and has
reaffirmed, that we are committed to turning all of the commitments in the December
Joint Report into legally binding text in the Withdrawal Agreement. Negotiations are
ongoing and the Government has set out our proposed approach on the customs element
of the backstop, the Temporary Customs Arrangement. The Government is committed to
accelerating discussions on the backstop, alongside intensifying negotiations on the
future relationship.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Any negotiated outcomes will need
to be compatible with our international obligations under the European Convention
of Human Rights.</p>
