7th November, 2016

On 3rd November, the High Court ruled that Parliament must vote on whether the government can begin the process of leaving the EU. This means that the government cannot trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty—the mechanism needed to initiate formal exit negotiations with the EU—without involving MPs and peers.

Prime Minister Theresa May has said that the referendum and the Crown Prerogative powers (the powers held by the monarch or by government ministers that may be used without the consent of the Commons or Lords) mean she does not need MP votes to invoke Article 50. However, the ruling states, ‘the Government does not have power under the Crown’s prerogative to give notice pursuant to Article 50 for the UK to withdraw from the European Union’.

With the power to decide the shape and direction of Brexit negotiations potentially now in the hands of Parliament, May’s established Brexit timeline to trigger Article 50 by the end of March 2017 has been momentarily stalled.

To discover what this means for Brexit and how you’ll be affected as an employer, access the full document below:

News Brief: High Court Rules That Parliament Must Vote on Brexit