The Stormont Assembly has voted against a motion calling for 'special status' for Northern Ireland in the Brexit process.

MLAs voted against the measure by 47 votes to 46.

The motion, tabled by the SDLP, would have seen Stormont "endorse the proposal of the Irish Government and others that there should be legal recognition of the unique status of Northern Ireland and the circumstances on the island as part of the arrangements to leave the European Union".

This motion in Stormont calling for special EU status for Northern Ireland post-#Brexit has just been defeated by 47 votes to 46: pic.twitter.com/TpskrtuUnW

— Gavan Reilly (@gavreilly) October 17, 2016

The vote may make it harder for the British and Irish governments to have the North considered a special case during the Brexit negotiations, which will essentially require the approval of all 28 current EU members.

More sceptical EU member states are likely to seize on the fact that Northern Ireland's own legislature is now opposed to such an idea.