UK ruling party bigwigs urge May to scrap Brexit appeal

UK Prime Minister Theresa May is coming under pressure to scrap an appeal against a court ruling, requiring lawmakers to approve of the process to start Brexit.

Three top members of May’s Conservative Party warned her Saturday that triggering the Article 50 of the European Union's Lisbon Treaty, which would officially start the exit from the bloc, could be delayed due to a Supreme Court appeal on Friday, AFP reported.

According to the court ruling, Scotland and Wales are allowed to intervene in the appeal.

The move threw a further hurdle in the way of May’s hopes of a smooth Brexit.

Oliver Letwin, former head of the government's Brexit preparations, former law officer Edward Garnier and former attorney general Dominic Grieve all spoke out in regard to the ruling.

 May’s government should come up with a "fast and tightly timetabled and constrained bill" to parliament, avoiding "any risk of the Supreme Court deciding to accord the devolved administrations some rights or even some veto powers,” Letwin told BBC, warning that the appeal should be dropped.

Garnier also called on May to "avoid an unnecessary legal row," which would bring about a “lot of unnecessary expense."

Grieve, for his part, suggested that there is no “point in the government continuing with the case and... if they enact primary legislation, they will get it through parliament."

Former cabinet minister Owen Paterson also made similar comments, saying, "I wouldn't have a bet on the government winning this one… It is not good to have a confrontation with the courts."

On June 23, nearly 52 percent of British people voted to leave the EU, after 43 years of membership, a decision that sent shockwaves throughout the world.

ME