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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: 2) by dry on Saturday November 05 2016, @06:05AM
The fixed elections act can be simply repealed or amended to allow an election. At the worst she can call it a confidence vote.
I hate it when we (Canada) get a new PM or (Provincial) Premier and they don't call an election. We've also had fixed election legislation for a long time. The government hardly ever follows it, if only due to no confidence votes, but they're as easily repealed as passed. In Canada the parties are quite whipped so, assuming a majority, what the government wants, Parliament passes. Not sure how it is in the UK, and of course if the backbenchers are pissed of at the leadership, no amount of whipping will help.
As for invoking article 50, it means that legislation has to be passed, so Parliament has to be involved. Here, a treaty can be agreed to by the government, but eventually it has to be OKed by Parliament and if Parliament doesn't OK it, well the treaty fails. Article 50 is different as the government can't say "we're invoking article 50, but if Parliament doesn't go along, well then we have to pretend we didn't invoke it"