Scottish Judges Rule Johnson's Suspension of Parliament Unlawful

TEHRAN (defapress) – Scottish appeal court judges declared Boris Johnson’s decision to suspend parliament in the run-up to the October Brexit deadline is unlawful.

News ID: 78675

Date: 12 September 2019 - 17:21

The three judges, chaired by Lord Carloway, Scotland’s most senior judge, overturned an earlier ruling that the courts did not have the power to interfere in the prime minister’s political decision to prorogue parliament.

Lawyers acting for 75 opposition MPs and peers argued Johnson’s decision to suspend parliament for five weeks was illegal and in breach of the constitution, as it was designed to stifle parliamentary debate and action on Brexit.

The judges failed to issue an interdict, or injunction, ordering the UK government to reconvene parliament, prompting a row over whether the decision meant MPs could go back to the House of Commons.

The court issued an official summary of its decision declaring the prorogation order was “null and void”, but Carloway said they were deferring a final decision on an interdict to the UK Supreme Court, which will hold a three-day hearing next week, The Guardian reported.

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