Addressing the House of Commons yesterday, the secretary of state for exiting the European Union David Davis MP officially confirmed that the Government will appeal last week’s High Court ruling on the process surrounding the decision to trigger Article 50 in the Supreme Court. Plans to commence Brexit negotiations as early as March 2017 were complicated by a landmark decision in the High Court last week, which rejected the Government’s right to use royal prerogative powers to trigger Article 50.
Protest planned
However, Mr Davis has confirmed that the Government’s Brexit timeline is still ‘on track’, with the Supreme Court granting a leapfrog hearing (wherein the case will bypass the Court of Appeals) that is slated to take place in early December. Former UKIP leader and staunch Brexit supporter Nigel Farage has promised to lead a peaceful protest to the Supreme Court on the day of the appeal, with The Daily Express estimating that up to 100,000 people could be in attendance.
Implications for justice
Some have expressed concerns that it may be tallied as a victory for pro-Brexit demonstrators should the Supreme Court rule to overturn the High Court’s decision, especially in light of recent vitriol towards the High Court judges involved in the decision throughout social media and the national press. Lord Judge, who served as lord chief justice between 2008 and 2013, commented: ‘Let’s say for the sake of argument the Supreme Court decides that the High Court was wrong, it will undoubtedly be conveyed as a victory for the demonstrators. It won’t be but that’s what will be conveyed. And if that’s conveyed, then you’ve undermined the administration of justice.’
Sources: Legal Cheek; BBC
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