Nigel Evans, MP for the Ribble Valley, calls respect for the Supreme Court’s ruling MP’s and peers must have a say concerning Article 50 before the government can initiate it.
Today, the Supreme Court ruled government cannot trigger Article 50 without consent of parliament. Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon (signed 2007) gives any EU member the right to leave unilaterally. It cannot be stopped once in motion unless all member states unanimously agree. Therefore the government has until the end of March to get the legislation through parliament to meet Theresa May’s deadline.
Mr. Evans said:
“We must respect this ruling from the Supreme Court. I trust the government will present this measure before parliament as quickly as possible. The Ribble Valley voted to leave the EU by a majority of 56.4% (20,550). Every constituency in Lancashire voted to leave the EU. Overall, 51.9% (17,410,742) of the UK voted to leave. I, for one, will not frustrate the wishes of my constituency or the British people. I look forward to voting to invoke Article 50 as quickly as possible. In order that Theresa May can keep to her March 2017 deadline for starting the Brexit process.”
Nigel feels strongly that the will of the British people should be listened to and for Parliament to go against the result of the EU referendum would make a mockery of the system.
Nigel added:
“The leaflet produced by the Government - at the cost of £9.3 million to the taxpayer – made it clear that the will of the British people, as expressed in the ballot box, would be carried out.
“That verdict was clear and I now want to see the Prime Minister and the Government make a great success of leaving the EU, trading with the world, and legislating our own laws in our own country.”
David Davis MP, Secretary of State for Leaving the EU, has made it clear that the Government expects Parliament to grant approval for triggering Article 50.