Gavin Robinson confirms seat on Westminster's NI Affairs committee - and pledges to hold government to account on Northern Ireland

Because of the way parliamentary committees are selected, smaller parties aren’t entitled to a place as of right, and the East Belfast MP’s position was granted by the Tories out of their allocation.

The DUP leader told the News Letter “I’m pleased to be returning as a member of the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, having previously served from 2015 until taking up a seat on the Defence Select Committee.

“With the support of my colleagues, I will be the DUP representative, but more importantly I will be a pro-Union voice for Northern Ireland within the Committee. The Committee always plays an important role in scrutinising the Government and holding it to account.

“That is even more important in a Parliament where Labour has such a significant majority. I will work to ensure the Government stands by its commitments in relation to Northern Ireland.”

The only Northern Ireland MPs will be the Alliance Party’s Sorcha Eastwood and the SDLP leader Claire Hanna.

The DUP held two seats on the committee in the last parliament. Unionism in Westminster is now represented by three parties and an independent – whereas last time round all pro-Union MPs were from the DUP.

The committee will be chaired by Welsh Labour MP Tonia Antoniazzi, who previously served as a shadow Northern Ireland minister.

On her election to the post last month, the Gower MP said “It is a privilege to have been entrusted by my fellow members with chairing the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee. I look forward to working with parties from across the political spectrum to ensure the issues that matter are properly scrutinised in the interests of all communities in NI.”

In the last parliament, former chair Robert Buckland infuriated unionists when he ruled out any return to direct rule from London, saying governance in the Province would include the "involvement of the Irish government, ultimately" unless devolution was restored.