Top EU court hears Brexit challenge
The European Union’s highest court on Tuesday began considering whether Britain can unilaterally change its mind about leaving the EU, as British Prime Minister Theresa May struggled to contain criticism of her divorce deal from U.K. politicians and U.S. President Donald Trump.
The European Court of Justice is assessing the issue under an accelerated procedure, since Britain is due to leave the bloc on March 29.
Since Article 50 of the EU treaty of Lisbon dealing with departing members is scant on details - largely because the idea of any country leaving the bloc was considered unlikely a group of Scottish legislators wants to know whether the U.K. can pull out of the withdrawal procedure on its own.
The case comes as pressure builds from Brexit opponents for a second referendum on the decision to leave the bloc.
The court decision is not expected for several weeks and could be dragged out into the new year, close to Britain’s departure date.
May is making a blunt appeal to voters and to lawmakers to
support her divorce deal, arguing that any alternative would be a jump into the unknown. The Scottish lawmakers want to make clear there is an alternative.
“There is an industrial-scale spin operation from the U.K. government to say that this cannot be turned around, this must be gone through, said
Alyn Smith, a Scottish National Party member of the European Parliament who is part of the proceedings.
“I do not believe that is the case.”
May insists her Conservative government has no intention of reversing Britain’s decision in June 2016 to leave. She is crisscrossing the U.K. on a Herculean
quest to drum up support for the Brexit deal before Parliament decides its fate on Dec. 11.
On Tuesday she was holding meetings with business and political leaders in Wales and Northern Ireland - where her parliamentary allies in the Democratic Unionist Party have vowed to vote against the agreement.