Muted opposition: UK's Sunak wins Northern Ireland trade vote in parliament

FILE PHOTO: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak walks outside Number 10 Downing Street, in London, Britain March 8, 2023. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

LONDON (Reuters) -British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak won the backing of parliament on Wednesday for a key element of a reworked post-Brexit deal on Northern Ireland despite opposition from the province's biggest unionist party and some of his lawmakers.

Sunak has tried to end years of wrangling over Brexit by revisiting one of the trickiest parts of the negotiations - to ensure smooth trade to Northern Ireland without creating a hard border with Britain or with European Union-member Ireland.