Brexit legal challenge live: British citizens will lose rights through EU withdrawal, Supreme Court told
A third day of arguments has been made in the Brexit Supreme Court appeal
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Your support makes all the difference.Gina Miller's legal representative has outlining the case against the Government in day three of the four day Supreme Court appeal on Brexit.
Lord Pannick QC represented Ms Miller and told the court Theresa May does not have sufficient authority to trigger Article 50 and instead the case must go to MPs.
Representing fello claimant Deir Dos Santos, a hairdresser born in Brazil, QC Dominic Chambers told the court only parliament has the power to take away British citizens' rights, which EU withdrawal would inevitably do.
The court was also told both Scotland and Northern Ireland must approve triggering Article 50 before the Government does so. A majority of people in Scotland (62 per cent) and Northern Ireland (56 per cent) voted to Remain.
The day before, while the court was sitting, Ms May announced during a visit to the Gulf that she will reveal her Brexit plans before triggering Article 50, in what appears to be a signifcant U-turn on her previous position.
Catch up on everything that happened in court today:
The Prime Minister has previously said she plans to trigger Article 50 by the end of this Spring.
If MPs are entitled to vote on Article 50, it could delay Brexit considerably or ensure it is a 'soft Brexit' rather than a 'hard Brexit' as politicians could insist protectionist clauses are inserted before EU withdrawal.
The Supreme Court case is expected to last four days.
A judgment is anticipated for early in the new year.
Chambers is suggesting entering EU was, while the exact opposite, clearest example we have of what to do now for Brexit (just in reverse)
This morning Supreme Court exploring the legal impact of the Commons motion. This afternoon Commons debate referred to legal impact of Court
Chambers compares UK system to Republic of Ireland, which has provisions for referendums in its constitution e.g 2015 same sex marriage vote
"The only point for this court is whether the referendum has any legal effect, and our position is it has no legal effect- consistent with..
...the wording of the [EU referendum] Act and the position of the law at that time"
Chambers draws court's attention to 2011 AV referendum- the ill fated attempt by Lib Dems in early coalition days to reform voting system
Government could still win this appeal. But if i were still a government lawyer I would be telling government to brace itself for losing.
Judge "A referendum is the people speaking to politicians- instructing them. That's one way of looking at it"
Judge Carnwarth asks if a motion in Parliament would be enough alone to trigger Article 50?
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