UK gov’t loses Brexit case, must consult Parliament
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s government warned lawmakers not to try to “thwart the will of the people” after the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Prime Minister Theresa May must seek the approval of Parliament before starting the formal process of leaving the European Union (EU).
The 8-3 decision forces the government to put a bill before Parliament, giving members of the House of Commons and the unelected House of Lords the chance to debate and potentially offer amendments that could soften the terms of Britain’s exit from the EU, known as Brexit.
While the government insisted its timetable of starting the talks by the end of March remained on track, some analysts warned that a defeat in the House of Lords, where May does not have a majority, could delay the process by a year or more.
” Parliament will rightly scrutinize and debate this legislation,” David Davis, the government’s Brexit secretary, told the House of Commons after the ruling.
“But I trust no one will seek to make it a vehicle for attempts to thwart the will of the people, or frustrate or delay the process of our exit from the European Union.
” While the ruling won’t scuttle Britain’s departure, mandated by voters in a June 23 referendum, it once again highlights the uncertainties in negotiating the country’s future relationship with the bloc of 500 million people, which is central to trade, immigration and security.”
The pound has fallen about 20 percent against the dollar since the vote on concern about slower economic growth and reduced investment.
May’s government fought hard to avoid putting the matter before Parliament, in part because amendments to the legislation could delay her timetable and force her into complicated concessions with her own lawmakers before she even sat across the table before the other 27 members of the EU.