After three judges came under a wave of criticism from newspapers and a senior official for dealing a blow to the British government's Brexit preparations, the independence of the country's judiciary came up for discussion. Justice Minister Liz Truss, under growing pressure to back the judges, issued a brief statement saying the independence of the judiciary was the "foundation upon which our rule of law is built," and said Britain's legal system was impartial.
England's High Court triggered an angry response from some lawmakers and newspapers on Thursday when it ruled that the decision to begin Britain's formal divorce talks with the European Union needed to be approved by parliament and could not be taken by the government alone. Sajid Javid, a member of May's cabinet, called the ruling an "unacceptable" attempt to "frustrate the will of the British people," while The Daily Mail newspaper said the three judges who handed down the ruling were "enemies of the people." The protests prompted other Conservative lawmakers to rally behind the judges.
British parliament must accept that Britain's vote to leave the European Union was legitimate and let the government get on with delivering Brexit "in full," Prime Minister Theresa May said yesterday. May has said she is confident of overturning a British court ruling that the government needs parliamentary approval to start the process of leaving the EU. The head of Britain's opposition Labor Party said on Sunday that he would try to block divorce talks with the EU if the government does not agree to his Brexit demands. The government, which has given little away about its plans for Britain's future relationship with the EU, has said that having to set out a detailed negotiating strategy to parliament would put it at a disadvantage in talks with the bloc.
Parliament could in theory block Brexit as most members supported staying in the EU in June's referendum, although it is unlikely to do so. A government appeal against the High Court ruling is expected to be considered by Britain's Supreme Court early next month. May has said she still plans to launch talks on the terms of Brexit by the end of March.
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Research Associate at Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA) at Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University
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