The Supreme Court announced today the Scottish and Welsh governments will be allowed to intervene in next month’s legal battle over how the Brexit process should be triggered.
The UK Government is appealing the High Court’s controversial ruling that the Prime Minister must win approval from MPs before triggering Article 50 – the formal mechanism for leaving the EU.
Supreme Court justices today accepted Scotland’s Nicola Sturgeon’s application to have the Scottish government’s voice represented in the court case. She had insisted Holyrood and other devolved institutions should also sign off before the formal process of cutting ties with Brussels can begin. Counsel for the Scottish Government will now be able to address the court on the relevance of points of Scottish law, so far as they do not form part of the law of England and Wales.
Supreme Court justices will also invite legal representatives from the Welsh government, the Independent Workers Union and a group representing British expats to intervene in the court case, which will begin on 5th December.
The Government’s appeal against the High Court ruling earlier this month will last four days but the Supreme Court warned it was unlikely to publish a result before the New Year.
The Independent Workers Union of Great Britain, which describes itself as ‘fighting for the rights and welfare of some of the most vulnerable and under-represented workers in the UK’, has also been given permission to make submissions to the court.
The Attorney General for Northern Ireland has made a reference to the court on devolution issues and did not need permission to intervene.
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