Parliament must vote on whether the UK can start the process of leaving the EU, the High Court has ruled.
This means the government cannot trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty - beginning formal exit negotiations with the EU - on its own.
Theresa May says the referendum - and existing ministerial powers - mean MPs do not need to vote, but campaigners called this unconstitutional.
The government is appealing, with a further hearing expected next month.
- Rolling reaction to Article 50 court ruling
- Kuenssberg: Will this mean early election?
- The High Court's judgement in full
- Brexit: All you need to know
A statement is to be made to MPs on Monday but the prime minister's official spokesman said the government had "no intention of letting" the judgement "derail Article 50 or the timetable we have set out. We are determined to continue with our plan".
Plebiscites only count when plebes vote the way they're told.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 04 2016, @06:54AM
Fascinating, but irrelevant. The issue in question is whether the government (which in this context is what Americans would call "the administration") can exit the EU without consulting Parliament (what Americans would call "the Congress"). If the context were American, Imperial President Theresa May would follow the tradition of President Tyrant Lincoln by simply issuing Executive Orders, ignoring her own Cabinet, ignoring the Congress, and doing whatever the fuck she wants. Theresa May should just declare herself Queen and dissolve Parliament. Now that would be unconstitutional and entertaining as hell.
(Score: 2) by kazzie on Saturday November 05 2016, @08:10AM
Theresa May should just declare herself Queen...
In this instance, she was trying to go it alone without Parliament by using the Queen's Royal Prerogative, which is always executed by the Government in these modern days of democracy.