Brexit legal challenge live: MPs don't actually want to vote on Article 50, government lawyer claims
The appeal against MPs voting on Article 50 is now in its second day
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Your support makes all the difference.Here are the latest updates:
- Theresa May performs U-turn and now will reveal Brexit plans before Article 50 vote
- Government rejected an opportunity to make EU referendum legally binding, lawyer claims
- MPs don't actually want to vote on Article 50, government lawyer claims
- Judges accuse the Government's lawyer of contradicting himself "twice in five minutes"
- Amber Rudd reveals EU citizens living in Britain will need identity cards after Brexit
- EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier says Brexit deal could be reached by October 2018
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The Supreme Court is today hearing the second day of arguments in the Brexit legal challenge.
11 of the most senior judges in the UK are hearing the government's appeal to a High Court ruling that Theresa May must let MPs vote on whether to trigger Article 50.
Yesterday, the court heard from government lawyer James Eadie QC and Attorney General Jeremy Wright. The lawyers argued the Prime Minister has authority to trigger the mechanism and begin EU withdrawal processes.
However, the judges questioned why more details haven't been provided about what will be in the Great Repeal Bill, the legislation through which the government intends to legislate for life outside the EU.
The judges also said serious threats have been made to claimants in the case and warned they must be stopped.
The case is expected to last four days in total, ending on Thursday.
Our political editor @JoeWatts_ has this report on Barnier's comments independent.co.uk/news/uk/politi…
(I will tweet out some extracts as Eadie refers to them. Here's the first.) http://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cy_YRxQXgAAmQkI.jpg
Government lawyer says he won't go into double taxation as an argument, like he'd hoped because it's too complex to fit into the time left
He jokes that it's an act of "cowardice" for him as a lawyer which he hopes the judges will forgive
And says he would like it to be considered as a bullet point on principle but without discussing it in court
The Government fully respects parliamentary sovereignty, Eadie tells court
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