Court rules UK parliament must vote on Brexit

arliament must vote on whether the government can start the Brexit process, the Supreme Court has ruled.

The judgement means Theresa May cannot begin talks with the European Union until Members of Parliament and peers give their backing – although this is expected to happen in time for the government’s March 31 deadline.

But the court ruled the Scottish Parliament and Welsh and Northern Ireland assemblies did not need a say, the BBC reports.

Brexit Secretary David Davis promised a parliamentary bill “within days.

During the Supreme Court hearing, campaigners argued that denying the United Kingdom Parliament a vote was undemocratic and a breach of long-standing constitutional principles.

They said that triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty – getting formal exit negotiations with the EU under way – would mean overturning existing UK law, so MPs and peers should decide.

But the government argued that, under the Royal Prerogative (powers handed to the government by the Crown), it could make this move without the need to consult Parliament.

And it said that MPs had voted overwhelmingly to put the issue in the hands of the British people when they backed the calling of last June’s referendum on Brexit.