The Northern Ireland Assembly has rejected the UK government's post- Brexit trade deal with the European Union.

The vote will not affect the end of the transition period later this week, but Stormont speaker Alex Maskey will convey the Assembly's view to Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

MLAs held the debate as an overwhelming majority of MPs at Westminster backed a bill bringing the trade deal into UK law.

The European Union (Future Relationship) Bill was passed by 521 to 73 votes in the House of Commons.

All of Northern Ireland's MPs who take their seats at Westminster voted against the trade deal.

In Belfast, MLAs voted by 47 to 38 in favour of an SDLP -amended motion rejecting Brexit and withholding consent for the legislation.

The Assembly was recalled early from recess by the first and deputy first ministers to debate the tariff-free trade deal announced on Christmas Eve.

There was criticism of the deal from each of the parties represented in the Assembly.

First Minister Arlene Foster moved the original motion, which was simply that the Assembly would note the UK-EU trade deal.

The DUP leader said: "A free-trade deal is better than no deal, but for Northern Ireland this deal does not undo the detrimental aspects of the Protocol."

While Britain is leaving the EU customs union and single market, Northern Ireland will continue to follow many of these rules under the Northern Ireland Protocol secured in 2019's Withdrawal Agreement.

The arrangement, which aims to prevent a hard land border with the Irish Republic, will mean additional checks for goods moving from Great Britain into Northern Ireland.

Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill, vice-president of Sinn Féin, said: "There is no good Brexit for the people of the island of Ireland from whatever tradition or culture you may come from."

Four amendments were put forward, which all fell bar the fourth which was proposed by the SDLP:

  • The first amendment, proposed by Sinn Féin, called for the "full implementation of the Protocol to mitigate some of the most negative impacts of Brexit". It fell by 26 votes to 38.
  • The second, proposed by the UUP, called for safeguards to protect trade for at least a year. It fell by 38 votes to 49.
  • The third, proposed by DUP MLAs, called for the Executive to work with the UK government to "mitigate against those damaging outcomes flowing from the protocol". It fell by 37 votes to 49.
  • The successful SDLP motion rejected Brexit in line with the EU referendum result in Northern Ireland, called for the implementation of the Protocol, and for the Assembly to "decline legislative consent to the British government to impose the European Union (Future Relationship) Bill, their inferior trade deal and their Brexit against the will of the people of Northern Ireland".

Speaking outside the chamber, SDLP deputy leader Nichola Mallon said Stormont had set an "important precedent".

"The British government must accept that it does not have the support or the confidence of the people of Northern Ireland for their Brexit," she said.

In the Commons, DUP chief whip Sammy Wilson said the "euphoria" of leaving the EU was "tinged with sadness" because of the Prime Minister's deal.

"Northern Ireland will not enjoy all the benefits of this deal, and indeed we will still find ourselves in many ways tied to some of the restrictions of EU membership," he said.

Mr Wilson denied the deal damages the Union, insisting Northern Ireland will remain in the UK rather than "joining the Irish Republic, a small nation which will bob about in the storms of economic chaos".

SDLP leader Colum Eastwood rejected the Brexit deal, saying that Northern Ireland has "chosen a different path to the one driven by English nationalism".

He told MPs he believes the "United Kingdom is coming to an end" and it brought a responsibility to "conduct the coming conversation with patience, care and compassion".

Alliance deputy leader Stephen Farry said the Conservative government "owns this deal" and he was not prepared to "acquiesce in a monumental act of self-harm".

However, Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis insisted the deal will benefit the region.

He also rejected the suggestion that Brexit could hasten the end of the union between Northern Ireland and Britain.

"I fundamentally disagree with that, I think actually quite the opposite," he told media in a virtual press conference.

He added: "As we leave the transition period, Northern Ireland is going to have this phenomenal benefit of being not just part of the UK customs territory and single market, but also that ability to trade freely with the EU.

"It's going to have a unique position that if it wasn't part of the United Kingdom, it wouldn't have."