Brexit vote not legally binding, Britain’s Supreme Court told
LONDON (Reuters) – The referendum in which Britons voted to leave the European Union is not legally binding, the Supreme Court was told on Wednesday during a hearing on who has the power to trigger Brexit.
The court is considering an appeal by the government against a ruling last month that ministers cannot invoke Article 50 of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty, the first formal step in the process of leaving the bloc, without Parliament’s explicit approval.
If the Supreme Court upholds that ruling, the risk for the government is that proceedings in Parliament could delay Prime Minister Theresa May’s plan to trigger Article 50 by the end of March, watering down her Brexit strategy.
The case has inflamed passions in Britain, with pro-Brexit critics saying those challenging the government through the courts were seeking to thwart the will of the people.
Meanwhile on Wednesday, Britain’s Brexit minister David Davis said it was inconceivable that Parliament would not be able to vote on the country’s final deal with the European Union, but that would not reverse the fact it was leaving the bloc,.
“If the European Parliament has a vote, it is inconceivable this house doesn’t – simple as that,” Davis said during a debate in Parliament.
Asked to confirm that such a vote would simply be on the deal with the EU and could not reverse the fact Britain was leaving the EU, he added: “That is entirely correct.”
Davis also said that the political scene in the EU was not set, and that the at least 15 elections due to take place across the bloc during the two-year negotiating period could change the backdrop to Britain’s exit process, making it “a challenging climate” for talks.