The British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly, originally established in 1990 and enlarged in 2001, works to promote co-operation between political representatives in the British Isles. The members are drawn from the British and Irish Parliaments (25 each), the three devolved legislatures (5 each) and the British Crown dependencies, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man (one each).
Alistair Lexden was formally appointed a member of the Assembly on 10 October 2017. He said: “Anglo-Irish relations, past and present, have been one of my principal interests for over 50 years. I was extremely pleased to be invited to become one of the British representatives on the Assembly”.
The Assembly meets in plenary session twice a year to conduct a range of business, including the consideration of reports on specific issues from its four committees, which meet several times a year. Alistair Lexden has joined the Sovereign Matters Committee, which is currently carrying out an inquiry into British –Irish trade relations and the border after Brexit.