Britain's highest court ruled Tuesday that the government cannot formally trigger Brexit proceedings by itself, and must gain the consent of parliament before it begins the process of removing the UK from the European Union.
As was widely anticipated, the Supreme Court rejected the government's argument that Prime Minister Theresa May could use her executive powers to invoke Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon—which will formally start negotiations with the EU on extricating Britain from the bloc—and ruled that an Act of Parliament would be required instead. An Act of Parliament requires the approval of both the House of Commons and House of Lords.
The decision, which sets clear limits on the government's executive powers, was cheered by many as a victory for parliamentary sovereignty, and seen as a further obstacle for the government's Brexit ambitions. But while it will compel the government to swiftly introduce emergency legislation to gain parliamentary approval for Brexit, it is unlikely to seriously derail its timetable for the process, much less the outcome itself.
A spokesman for May insisted the government's plan to trigger Article 50 by the end of March would not be affected by the decision. Hours later, Brexit Secretary David Davis told parliament that the government would introduce legislation "within days" to trigger the process.
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