Protocol latest: MPs warn that Rishi Sunak may be planning on 'railroading' Parliament into rubber-stamping the Windsor Framework

The chairman of the European Scrutiny Committee of the House of Commons  said in a statement this morning that he fears the Prime Minister “may be attempting to swerve timely scrutiny” over the issue.

The committee is made up of eight Tories, five Labour MPs, one SNP MP, one independent one, and one from the DUP (Gavin Robinson).

Its chairman is Tory Sir Bill Cash, who has in the past been closely connected with the European Research Group or ERG.

The committee said in a statement today that it is “the Prime Minister’s responsibility to enable oversight of the deal brokered between the Government and the European Union by MPs, after Mr Sunak rejected an invitation to appear before the committee” (adding that “the original offer had been to hold a session today”).

The committee adds: “No date has been set for a Parliamentary vote. Meanwhile, the European Council seems set to agree to the proposals on March 21, with a joint UK-EU meeting of the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee due to sign off on the deal by as early as the end of that week...

“Feeling that he may be attempting to swerve timely scrutiny, MPs on the Committee have publicly outlined their concerns and listed some of the most critical issues that they want addressing.

"These include the applicability of EU law in Northern Ireland and the role of the European Court of Justice under the Framework, the operation of the ‘Stormont Brake’, and movement of goods between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.”

Chairman Sir Bill said, “We were put into a sticky situation by the sequencing of negotiations during the original Withdrawal Agreement talks. Our overwhelming desire is to come by the best outcome for Northern Ireland that does not imperil the Union.

“Parliament should not be railroaded into a deal that it has not had sufficient time to come to an educated choice over whether to proceed or renegotiate, which will be unlikely to happen if the Government were to rush ahead particularly if the EU wishes to do so.

“MPs in the House must have a meaningful chance at input before this happens.”

More to follow.