Britain's High Court throws a wrench in Brexit plans
On Thursday, Britain's High Court ruled that Prime Minister Theresa May doesn't have the power to trigger Britain's withdrawal from the European Union, as she planned to do by March 31, 2017. Instead, the court ruled, Parliament must approve the activation of Article 50 of the E.U. charter, which allows a country to withdraw from the union "in accordance with its own constitutional requirements." May argued that the prime minister can use the royal prerogative to withdraw, after Britons narrowly voted to leave last summer, but the senior judges disagreed, ruling that "the government does not have the power under the Crown's prerogative" to start Brexit talks.
The government is expected to appeal the ruling, the most important constitutional challenge in decades. The royal prerogative, originally and officially held by the Queen, is used by British prime ministers to negotiate treaties, declare war, and do more mundane things like issue passports without votes in Parliament. Using those powers to strip rights from U.K. citizens, as leaving the E.U. would, impinges on Parliament's sovereignty, said the chief justice Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd, and "the most fundamental rule of the U.K. constitution is that Parliament is sovereign." The Supreme Court has set aside room for an appeal next month.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
A Taste of Honey: 'wonderful' revival remains 'vital and relevant'
The Week Recommends The 'period-perfect' production features a 'universally excellent cast'
By The Week UK Published
-
Bormio: 'a great Alpine getaway'
The Week Recommends From snowy slopes and hot-spring spas, to high-end food and wine, this Italian town has something to offer everyone
By Asya Likhtman Published
-
Crossword: March 28, 2024
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Visa and Mastercard agree to lower swipe fees
Speed Read The companies will cap the fees they charge businesses when customers use their credit cards
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Reddit IPO values social media site at $6.4 billion
Speed Read The company makes its public debut on the New York Stock Exchange
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Housing costs: the root of US economic malaise?
speed read Many voters are troubled by the housing affordability crisis
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Feds cap credit card late fees at $8
speed read The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized a rule to save households an estimated $10 billion a year
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Immigration helped the US economy outpace peers
speed read The U.S. economy grew at an annualized rate of 3.2% last quarter
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
4-day workweek gets boost from UK study
Speed Read Following a six-month trial, the majority of participating British companies are still using the truncated schedule
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US sues to block Kroger-Albertsons merger
Speed Read The Federal Trade Commission sued to block the $24.6 billion merger between the grocery giants
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Nvidia sees historic stock rise on AI chips success
Speed Read U.S. chipmaker Nvidia achieved the biggest one-day increase in value of any company in history
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published