The highest court in the U.K. has determined that the government's decision to suspend parliament for five weeks was unlawful.
The President of the Supreme Court, Brenda Hale, said Tuesday the suspension of parliament was not a normal suspension and that it had taken place in exceptional circumstances. She said no justification for the government taking such extreme action – to suspend parliament for five weeks - had been put forward.
Hale said that the decision by Johnson's government to advise the Queen to prorogue parliament was unlawful "because it had the effect of frustrating or preventing the ability of parliament to carry out its constitutional functions without reasonable justification," Reuters reported.The judges ruled that the suspension of parliament is void but that it was for parliament to decide what to do next.
John Bercow, the Speaker of the House of Commons welcomed the decision and said parliament must convene without delay, Reuters reported. The leader of the opposition Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, said the decision showed that the prime minister had acted wrongly and that he had shown a "contempt for democracy and abuse of power." He said Johnson should consider his position. He also called for parliament to be immediately recalled.
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