Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg Judge Raymond Doherty in Edinburgh held off granting an emergency injunction against the prime minister’s plan, saying that there is time to hold more hearings on the issue next week. He decided not to make any findings on the merits of the lawmakers’ overall case.
The ruling postpones a battle over the suspension of Parliament, rather than stopping altogether the attempt by more than 70 lawmakers to keep the legislature sitting. A full hearing in the case was moved up to Sept. 3.
Doherty said that while he isn’t satisfied there’s a “cogent need” for an interim injunction against Parliament’s suspension, it’s “in the interest of justice that this proceeds sooner rather than later.”
The group of lawmakers had argued that the government’s advice to the Queen to suspend Parliament for as long as five weeks was unconstitutional because it curtailed debate in Westminster.
“This verdict means a full hearing has been fast-tracked to next week, which is now the most important week in modern British history,” Ian Murray, one of the lawmakers involved in the case, said in a statement.
The case will likely end up in front of the U.K. Supreme Court in London, which may have to cut its traditional summer break to review the matter.
It’s one of three lawsuits seeking to stop Johnson’s plan to suspend Parliament. A Belfast court on Friday also put off a decision on whether to issue an injunction until next week. The judge wanted to give more time for the situation in Westminster to develop before addressing the question of the injunction.
A separate London case is scheduled to get an initial review Thursday. Former Prime Minister John Major joined the London lawsuit, which is being led by Brexit opponent Gina Miller.
Court hearing re @BorisJohnson proroguing Parliament will be heard next Thursday 5th September. I will be adjoined by Sir John Major.
— Gina Miller (@thatginamiller) August 30, 2019
--With assistance from Peter Flanagan.
To contact the reporter on this story:
Jonathan Browning in London at jbrowning9@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story:
Anthony Aarons at aaarons@bloomberg.net
Kaye Wiggins