25 January 2017 10:48 am
The British government’s Brexit plan will be put to the test on Tuesday with a landmark court ruling on whether it has the right to kick-start the country’s EU departure without parliamentary approval.
The 11 Supreme Court judges are expected to rule against the government in a move which could delay Prime Minister Theresa May triggering Article 50 of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty, which would formally begin exit negotiations.
Tuesday’s decision follows a High Court ruling against the government in November, in a case which attracted protests and abuse against the lead claimant.
Businesswoman Gina Miller said she has suffered death threats and racist taunts since bringing the case.
“Things that were considered unacceptable are now acceptable,” she told AFP ahead of the Supreme Court decision.
Anger was also directed at the High Court judges following their decision, being branded “Enemies of the People” by one newspaper.
The legal challenge has tapped into divisions within British society after the June referendum which saw 52 percent vote to leave the EU. Brexiteers have claimed the case is an attempt to block Britain’s departure from the European Union, but MPs are not expected to vote against triggering Article 50. If they lose the case ministers are preparing to rush emergency legislation through the Houses of Commons and Lords -- and the opposition Labour party has promised not to block it.
“Even if the Supreme Court rules that May cannot bypass parliament in Westminster, parliamentarians will be unlikely to go against the vote of the British people and block Brexit,” said Agata Gostynska-Jakubowska, a research fellow at the Centre for European Reform.
-AFP