- Title: Legal campaigner Gina Miller arrives at Supreme Court
- Date: 17th September 2019
- Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (SEPTEMBER 17, 2019) (REUTERS) LEGAL CAMPAIGNER GINA MILLER ARRIVING AT SUPREME COURT, MEDIA SURROUNDING HER
- Embargoed: 1st October 2019 09:06
- Keywords: brexit legal campaigner gina miller supreme court appeal
- Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
- City: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001AX1Q05J
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Gina Miller arrived at the Supreme Court in London on Tuesday (September 17) to appeal against a ruling by the English High Court's upholding the British governments right to prorogue government.
Miller, the campaigner who mounted a successful legal challenge to Prime Minister Theresa May's government over its authority to leave the EU without a vote in parliament, sought a judicial review of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's decision to suspend parliament.
London's High Court rejected that challenge last week but said it could be taken to the Supreme Court for an appeal.
Johnson's government will try to persuade Britain's top court this week that his decision to suspend parliament until shortly before the date for Brexit was not illegal as Scottish judges concluded last week.
Johnson announced on Aug. 28 that he had asked Queen Elizabeth to prorogue, or suspend, parliament for five weeks from last week until Oct. 14, saying the shutdown was necessary to allow him to introduce a new legislative agenda.
Opponents said the real reason was to prevent scrutiny and challenges by parliament where he now has no majority to his Brexit plans, especially his promise to leave the European Union by Oct. 31 even if no divorce deal has been agreed.
In a damning judgement, Scotland's highest court ruled last Wednesday that the suspension was unlawful and was an "egregious" attempt to stymie parliament.
Both cases are now going before the Supreme Court, the highest judicial body in the United Kingdom, and its 11 judges will give a final ruling on whether Johnson's advice to the queen was illegal.
Supporters of the legal challenges, a mixture of anti-Brexit campaigners and opposition lawmakers, want parliament to be immediately recalled if the court backs them. Critics also say that if judges decide Johnson misled the monarch, then he must resign.
Johnson said the current session of parliament was longer than any since the English Civil war in the 17th century, adding that lawmakers would have plenty of time to again discuss Brexit after an EU summit on Oct. 17-18.
The Supreme Court hearings will run until Thursday, with the verdict not expected until Friday at the earliest.
(Production: Dina Selim) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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