The Human Rights Consortium, which took a neutral position in the EU referendum, has joined a legal challenge against the Brexit process as an applicant.

Kevin Hanratty, director of the Consortium, said that it “did not take a position on whether the UK should withdraw from the EU during the referendum process and we maintain that position to this day”.

However, he explained that the Consortium had “become involved as applicants in the Judicial Review because we believe that if the UK Government are determined to proceed with withdrawing the UK from the EU, that this should only be allowed to happen in a manner that is consistent with the current constitutional and legal protections of Northern Ireland and the wider UK”.

The High Court in Belfast is currently hearing judicial reviews by victim rights’ campaigner Raymond McCord and a cross-community group of MLAs, both of whom are challenging the Brexit process.

Mr Hanratty said: “Essentially we are deeply concerned that the multitude of human rights and equality protections that people in Northern Ireland currently have access to by virtue of the UK’s membership of the EU will be lost.”

He added: “This legal action is about ensuring that if Brexit takes place, that it does so in a manner that upholds and is in keeping with our current legal protections and which will continue to ensure the protections of our peace process.”