UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has dismissed calls for his resignation following a shock ruling by the Supreme Court that found Mr Johnson broke the law by telling the Queen to suspend Parliament.
In the landmark decision, eleven judges unanimously ruled that Mr Johnson had acted unlawfully by suspending parliament for five weeks in the lead up to October’s Brexit deadline.
But despite the ruling, Mr Johnson has insisted he won’t change his overall Brexit strategy as MPs prepare to return to Westminister on Wednesday.
“For the avoidance of doubt, I have the highest respect, of course, for our judiciary and for the independence of our courts,” he told reporters in New York City.
“But I must say I strongly disagree with this judgment and we in the UK will not be deterred from getting on and delivering on the will of the people to come out of the EU on October 31.”
The EU dealt a heavy blow to the PM's new Brexit proposals on Friday. Source: AAP
The Supreme Court’s ruling that the late August decision was "unlawful, null and of no effect" came as a shock, even to those who brought the case against the government.
“Today is not a win for any individual or cause, it's a win for parliamentary sovereignty, the separation of powers and the independence of our British court,” businesswoman and legal campaigner Gina Miller said.
“Crucially today's ruling confirms that we are a nation governed by the rule of law.”
The court’s finding was at times scathing of the Prime Minister’s actions in proroguing parliament, but stopped did not explicitly accuse Mr Johnson of deliberately misleading the Queen.
“This prolonged suspension of parliamentary democracy took place in quite exceptional circumstances,” said the court’s President, Lady Hale.
“Parliament, and in particular the House of Commons, as the elected representatives of the people, has a right to a voice in how that change comes about. The effect on the fundamentals of our democracy was extreme."
Calls to resign
In the wake of the ruling, Johnson’s political opponents have called for him to step down, saying the parliament and the public can no longer trust him.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is cutting his party’s annual conference in Brighton short to return to Westminster.
"The government will be held to account for what it has done,” he told cheering supporters on Wednesday.
“Boris Johnson has been found to have misled the country. This unelected prime minister should now resign."
Campaigners hope to force Boris Johnson to write to the European Union asking for a Brexit extension. Source: AAP
The Leader of the Liberal Democrats, the only major party promising to stop Brexit should they gain power, said the court’s decision highlights flaws in the Prime Minister’s character.
“Boris Johnson is not fit to be prime minister. He has acted unlawfully in trying to silence Parliament, trying to silence the voices of the people because he does not want to be held to account,” Jo Swinson told reporters.
“He does not want to be held to account, he does not want to have to answer questions about his disastrous Brexit policy and in doing so he was prepared to mislead the Queen and mislead the whole country.”
But Mr Johnson insists he won’t be leaving the top job.
“I think what the people of the country want is to see parliamentarians coming together working on in the national interest to get this thing done and that's what we're gonna do," he said.
Mr Johnson has at least one high-profile supporter. When US President Donald Trump and Mr Johnson met on the sidelines of the UN in New York, the US President urged his "friend" not to quit.
"He's doing a fantastic job ... and I think he is going to make great progress come October," Mr Trump said.
"I know him well, he isn't going anywhere."
What happens now?
- Parliament will resume sitting at 11.30 BST Wednesday
- Prime Minister Boris Johnson will fly back to London after speaking at the United Nations
- MPs will have the opportunity to debate Brexit-related issues
- Opposition parties could launch a vote of no-confidence in the Johnson Government
- Some MPs want to wait until another delay to Brexit has been secured before trying to defeat the government
