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Deustche Welle (24 September 2019)

The UK Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that Prime Minister Boris Johnson's decision to suspend Parliament was unlawful. The court ruled that Parliament can reconvene "as soon as possible."

The UK Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that Prime Minister Boris Johnson's decision to suspend Parliament was unlawful. The decision was unanimous. No further appeal by the government is possible.

"This was not a normal prorogation in the runup to a Queen's Speech," said Brenda Hale, the president of the Supreme Court.

"The court is bound to conclude therefore, that the decision to advise Her Majesty to prorogue Parliament was unlawful."

It means that "the prorogation was void and of no effect." Parliament can therefore reconvene "as soon as possible," she concluded. 

The speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, said that he welcomes the ruling and that the UK Parliament must "reconvene without delay."

"To this end, I will now consult the party leaders as a matter of urgency," he added.

Calls for Johnson to resign

In light of the ruling, Boris Johnson is facing calls to resign. Labour Party leader and head of the opposition, Jeremy Corbyn, immediately called on Johnson to leave his post.

Speaking at the Labour Party conference in Brighton, he said, "I invite Boris Johnson, in those historic words, to 'consider his position.'"

Corbyn also said that the illegal suspension of Parliament shows Johnson's "contempt" for democracy and the rule of law.

Scottish National Party MP Joanna Cherry said that, "His position is untenable, and he should have the guts for once to do the decent thing and resign." Cherry is one of the lawyers who brought the case to the Court of Session in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Protesters outside the Supreme Court in London welcomed the court's decision. Several lawmakers were seen arriving to the parliament building. 

No 'good reason' to prorouge parliament

The UK parliament has officially been suspended by Queen Elizabeth, who is politically neutral. The monarch acts on the advice of her prime minister. Normally, the process is a formality to end one parliamentary session and start a new one, and Johnson's government repeatedly said the decision to suspend the body had nothing to do with Brexit.

"It is impossible for us to conclude, on the evidence which has been put before us, that there was any reason - let alone a
good reason - to advise Her Majesty to prorogue Parliament for five weeks," the judges said in their ruling on Tuesday.

Several lawmakers, including Johnson's opponents thrown out of his Tory party, previously state that he should resign if it turns out that he had misled the British queen.

ed/ng (Reuters, AFP)