Supreme Court set to deliver verdict on parliament prorogation
The UK Supreme Court is set to decide if Prime Minister Boris Johnson acted illegally when he suspended parliament for five weeks before Brexit.
An adverse ruling for the PM could disrupt his plans for a “do or die” Brexit on 31 October, when he has vowed to take the UK out of the EU with or without a deal.
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If the UK’s highest court finds against him, MPs could return to parliament long before the 14 October date Johnson is due to reveal a new domestic agenda via a Queen’s Speech.
The Commons would then have extra time to find ways to circumvent Johnson’s Brexit strategy.
Johnson’s critics have accused him of attempting to avoid parliamentary scrutiny by proroguing parliament. But the government has insisted the suspension is overdue for one of parliament’s longest sessions in history.
The Prime Minister has argued the break is necessary to allow the government to prepare a new domestic agenda.
When the Supreme Court delivers its verdict at 10.30am, it will settle two differing rulings under English and Scottish law.
While the UK’s High Court ruled that courts should not intervene with what was a political matter, Scottish judges deemed it apt for the courts to intervene.
They further ruled that Johnson had broken the law with his prorogation of parliament.
Today the Supreme Court’s 11 justices could decide that the prorogation is a political matter they cannot intefere with. Or they may decide Johnson acted unlawfully and set the terms for when and how parliament can resume.
Speaking to press on a flight to New York yesterday, Johnson said: “Parliament will have bags of time to scrutinise the deal that I hope I will be able to do.”
Government sources speaking to City PM have said they are preparing for “a decision we won’t like”, according to political correspondent Catherine Neilan.
Johnson, who is attending the UN Summit in New York, said he would not feel he had to resign if justices rule he misled the Queen in the advice he gave for suspending parliament.
He also refused to rule out proroguing parliament again if the Supreme Court rules against him.
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“I will wait and see what the justices decide, but as I have said before, I believe that the reasons for wanting a Queen’s speech are very good indeed,” he told reporters.
Johnson added: “When it comes to parliamentary scrutiny, what are we losing? Four or five days of parliamentary scrutiny when parliament has had three years to discuss the issue, and will be able to come back and discuss Brexit after the European council on 17 and 18 October.”
Main image credit: Getty