London: In a major setback for Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Britain's Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled in a historic verdict that his decision to suspend Parliament in the run-up to Brexit was "unlawful". Johnson suspended, or prorogued, Parliament for five weeks earlier this month, saying it was to allow for a Queen's Speech to outline policies of his new government. Opposition MPs and many members of his own Conservative Party had accused him of trying to escape parliamentary scrutiny during a crunch phase ahead of the October 31 Brexit deadline.

In court
Handing down the verdict on Tuesday, President Lady Brenda Hale said, "The effect on the fundamentals of our democracy was extreme." "The decision to advise Her Majesty 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," she said. She added the unanimous decision of the 11 justices meant that Parliament had not been prorogued — the decision was null and of no effect — and it was for the Speakers of the Commons and Lords to decide what to do next. The legal question the SC judges had to resolve was whether the PM's decision "exploiting residual, royal prerogative powers" was "justiciable" and could consequently be subjected to scrutiny by the courts.