Boris Johnson 'apologised to Queen' following Supreme Court prorogation ruling
2 min read
Boris Johnson has reportedly apologised to the Queen after the Supreme Court ruled his decision to prorogue Parliament was unlawful.
The Prime Minister, who required the Queen’s approval to go ahead with the controversial plan, called Her Majesty after the unanimous judgment was announced on Tuesday.
A Number 10 source told the Sunday Times: “He got on to the Queen as quickly as possible to say how sorry he was.”
According to the paper, there was huge disquiet in the Queen’s household over the parliamentary shut down, even before the Supreme Court ruling.
“They are not impressed by what is going on — at the very highest levels of the family,” a Whitehall source said.
A palace official is also said to have revealed Mr Johnson is now as distrusted as David Cameron by the Queen, after the former PM recounted details of his private conversations with her while promoting his memoir.
Meanwhile, Mr Johnson has hinted that a US-style vetting process could be introduced for the appointment of judges to the Supreme Court.
The Prime Minister said there needed to be more "accountability" in the system.
He told the Sunday Telegraph: "It will take a while to be worked through. But I think, if judges are to pronounce on political questions in this way, then there is at least an argument that there should be some form of accountability.
"The lessons of America are relevant."
Mr Johnson insisted he respected the 11 justices ruling “very humbly and very sincerely”, but added: "They did choose to adjudicate on the question of whether or not Parliament should be using this particular period, to be discussing Brexit...
"And in so doing it seems to me that the justices intruded onto an acutely sensitive political question, at a time of great national controversy...I don't think that the consequences of that judgment have yet been fully evaluated."
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