How will the Northern Ireland protocol work?
b"Boris Johnson accepted a Northern Ireland protocol when he negotiated a new withdrawal agreement with the European Union last October. This protocol creates special customs and regulatory arrangements for Northern Ireland to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland, and will come into force when the transition periods ends on 31 December \\u2013 irrespective of the future trading relationship between the rest of the UK and the EU.\\n\\nBut many of the details of how the protocol will work in practice remain to be agreed \\u2013 and there is little time left for new systems and processes to be put in place to meet the UK's legal commitments.\\n\\nThis event examined how the Northern Ireland protocol might operate, what needs to be done to make it work, and its political and constitutional implications.\\n\\nOur panel included:\\n\\nStephen Farry MP, Alliance Party Deputy Leader and MP for North Down\\nStephen Kelly, Chief Executive of Manufacturing NI\\nDr Anna Jerzewska, independent customs and trade adviser\\nDenis Staunton, London Editor, The Irish Times\\n\\nThe event was chaired by Joe Owen, Programme Director at the Institute for Government. There was an opportunity for audience questions."