Britain's Supreme Court made an important ruling yesterday. They decided it is Parliament—not the Prime Minister—who has the right to trigger the process of taking Britain out of the European Union (EU). Now Prime Minister Theresa May probably won’t be able to begin exit talks by the end of March.
U.K. Supreme Court President David Neuberger says the vote was 8-3. The court also unanimously decided that there's no need to consult Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland on Britain's exit—aka Brexit.
Instead of waiting on Parliament, May wanted to use centuries-old powers known as “royal prerogative” to launch exit talks. The powers—traditionally held by the monarch—permit decisions about treaties and other issues to be made without Parliament’s vote.
A statement from the Prime Minister’s office said, "We respect the Supreme Court's decision and will set out our next steps to Parliament shortly.”
But they also insist that the British people voted to leave the EU and that the ruling doesn’t change that.
According to Britain's Brexit secretary, David Davis, "There's no going back. The point of no return was June 23 of last year," referring to the day Britons voted to leave the EU in a historic referendum.
PHOTO: Kaya Mar shows his latest painting of British Prime Minister Theresa May in front of the Supreme Court in London.
