MPs launch legal bid to stop Boris Johnson shutting down Parliament
2 min read
MPs have launched a legal bid to block Boris Johnson's plan to shut down Parliament in the run-up to Brexit day.
More than 70 of them have put their names to an emergency motion to be considered by the Court of Session in Edinburgh on Thursday.
If it is upheld, it could make any attempt to prorogue Parliament by the Prime Minister illegal.
The Privy Council is expected to back Mr Johnson's bid to suspend Parliament from sitting for five weeks from 9 September ahead of a Queen's Speech on 14 October.
The PM said the move would allow the Government to introduce a new legislative programme while giving MPs "ample" time to debate Brexit before the UK is due to leave the EU on Hallowe'en.
But opponents of the move, led by Commons Speaker John Bercow, have said it is a "constitutional outrage" and accused Mr Johnson of acting like "a tinpot dictator".
Ian Murray, the Labour MP for Edinburgh South, is one of the MPs backing the case at the Court of Session.
He said: "Boris Johnson’s plan to suspend Parliament is an assault on our democracy. This is the people’s parliament, and the people deserve to have their representatives in Parliament during this vital period.
"Legal action to prevent the Prime Minister suspending Parliament has already been fast-tracked through the courts and we are now seeking an emergency hearing to prevent this undemocratic action.
"A no-deal Brexit would be catastrophic for Scotland and the UK, and we will do everything we can to stop Boris Johnson inflicting such hardship on the people. The final say on Brexit should be handed back to the people."
The Court of Session has previously ruled that the UK could unilaterally revoke the Article 50 process.
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