The ruling of the Supreme Court that Boris Johnson’s decision to suspend Parliament was unlawful is being hotly debated by politicians.
The Prime Minister himself has stated that although he disagrees with the unanimous decision of 11 senior judges on Tuesday he would respect it. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called on the Prime Minister to resign.
Commenting on the decision and Labour's position at its party conference, Dr Geoffrey Seeff, Liberal Democrat candidate for Chingford and Woodford Green, said: “This week I have witnessed two of the most extraordinary political events that have taken place in my lifetime - the electoral suicide of a once-respected major party by its inability to articulate a clear policy on the most critical issue of the day.
“There is also the humiliation of a Prime Minister and his cabinet who have been found to have acted unlawfully in their attempts to force through a policy that has the potential for untold damage to the fabric of society.”
Change UK for Ilford South Mike Gapes, who left Labour in February, said: “The unanimous decision by all eleven judges on the Supreme Court is unprecedented.
“The highest court in our country has ruled that the prorogation of Parliament by Prime Minister Boris Johnson was ‘unlawful, void and of no effect’. I am delighted by this decision.
“Congratulations to the Supreme Court for defending our Parliament and our democracy. We live in the UK under the rule of law in a Parliamentary Democracy. The Prime Minister must accept the ruling of the Supreme Court without equivocation. If he is not prepared to do so, then he must resign.”
Iain Duncan Smith, Tory MP for Chingford and Woodford Green, said: “I am sure there will be legal arguments about the rights and wrongs of the judgement.
“However, coming on the back of parliament’s refusal to let the UK leave the EU, the official opposition’s refusal to agree to an election and other opposition parties now openly talking of disregarding the original referendum and revoking Article 50, it will only feed people’s growing view that the political establishment has betrayed them.
“This judgement and its outcome will inevitably be seen by British people beyond Westminster through the prism of Brexit and make it more and more likely that their trust in Parliament will ebb away even faster.
“Our politics is now reduced to a simple concept – parliament versus the people. There is no doubt in my mind that Prime Minister Boris Johnson stands four square with the people and mustn’t be deflected from his determination to get us out by October 31 and deliver Brexit.”
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