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Brexit legal challenge live: Supreme Court hears Theresa May's appeal against MPs voting on Article 50 | Brexit legal challenge live: Supreme Court hears Theresa May's appeal against MPs voting on Article 50 |
(about 2 hours later) | |
The Government’s Brexit plans have been challenged over their apparent lack of detail, by Supreme Court judges considering whether MPs will get to vote on triggering Article 50. | |
The most senior judges in the country are hearing the case, after the Government appealed the High Court ruling that Theresa May cannot decide to trigger the mechanism and withdraw from the EU, without parliamentary approval. | |
One of the Justices hearing the Supreme Court appeal, Lord Carnwarth, asked chief government lawyer James Eadie QC why more information about the Great Repeal Bill hasn’t been forthcoming. He asked: “Do we have any evidence about that [the bill]? About what it is, what it’s going to do? | |
“It seems to be of some relevance to ask ourselves, what is Parliament’s role going to be between now and the end of the two years? I think there’s been a statement at the Conservative Party conference. Has there been anything else?“ | |
Mr Eadie responded that he would answer the question and provide more information at a later stage but did not immediately provide details. | |
The Government has previously been criticised for appearing to lack a coherent and detailed plan for Brexit. Ms May has sought to quell concerns by announcing that “Brexit means Brexit” but the slogan has been dismissed by critics as exemplifying a sound bit based approach lacking in substance. | |
The Great Repeal Bill, which is backed by Brexit Secretary David Davis, would reportedly annul the 1972 European Communities Act (ECA), which gives EU law instant effect in the UK, and give Parliament the power to absorb parts of EU legislation into UK law and scrap elements it does not want to keep. | |
As it happened- read our live blog of the court proceedings as the unfolded in court. | |
Please wait a moment for the live blog to load: | Please wait a moment for the live blog to load: |
The Supreme Court appeal is hearing legal arguments from both the government and anti-Brexit campaigners who have taken the case against the Prime Minister’s plans to trigger Article 50. | |
Last month, the High Court ruled that Ms May’s plans to trigger Article 50 by the end of March cannot proceed without approval from MPs. If parliamentary approval from MPs is enforced, it is unlikely that politicians would vote to block Brexit. However, it is likely to delay Brexit considerably and may alter it’s form by watering down a ‘Hard Brexit’ to less stark policies. | |
Ms May’s Brexit plans were dealt another blow this week as it emerged she faces a fresh revolt from MPs within her own party over fears she is keeping EU withdrawal plans a “secret”. Up to 40 Tory backbenchers are believed to be ready to vote with Labour to bind the Prime Minister into “publishing the government’s plan for leaving the EU before Article 50 is invoked”. | |
The Supreme Court appeal is expected to last until Thursday and the judgement will be announced early in the new year. |