Johnson: I absolutely did not lie to the Queen

THE Prime Minister yesterday denied claims he had ‘lied to the Queen’ – as the Government won the latest round in its Brexit court battle.

A Scottish court concluded on Wednesday that Boris Johnson had not told the truth about his reasons for asking the Queen to suspend parliament for five weeks.

Mr Johnson said the suspension was needed to allow for the introduction of a raft of domestic reforms in a new Queen’s Speech – the first for more than two years.

But the Court of Session in Edinburgh ruled he was ‘motivated by the improper purpose of stymying parliament’ over Brexit. The Prime Minister yesterday pointed out that the High Court in England had rejected a similar case, ruling that the decision to prorogue parliament was a political issue and ‘not a matter for the courts’.

Asked whether he had ‘lied to the Queen’, Mr Johnson said: ‘Absolutely not.’ He added: ‘The High Court in England plainly agrees with us, but the Supreme Court will have to decide. We need a Queen’s Speech, we need to get on and do all sorts of things at a national level.’ The Prime Minister won the latest Brexit court battle yesterday, as Northern Ireland judges rejected claims the Government’s Brexit strategy would damage the peace process.

Lord Justice Bernard McCloskey, delivering his ruling at Belfast High Court, said the issues raised by three cases touched on political matters that the courts should not intervene on. Mr Johnson also moved to defuse a row between the Government and the courts, sparked when business minister Kwasi Kwarteng accused judges of ‘interfering in politics’.

Speaking after the Scottish court ruling, Mr Kwarteng warned that many Leave voters believed that the courts were biased against Brexit. But Mr Johnson yesterday insisted the Government accepted that the courts operate independently, saying: ‘It is very important that we respect the independence of the judiciary.’

The Supreme Court will rule next week on whether the decision to suspend parliament until October 14 was legal. If the court upholds the Scottish verdict Mr Johnson could be forced to recall parliament.