By Busra Akin Dincer
LONDON (AA) – The High Court in London is to decide on Thursday morning whether the British government can bypass parliament before triggering legislation to start the country’s exit from the European Union.
The U.K. will use Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty which regulates negotiations and the timetable for a state to leave the European Union by March 2017, British Prime Minister Theresa May announced recently at her Conservative Party conference.
However, arguments revolving around the question of who has the power to start the process still continue.
The claimants, led by investment banker Gina Miller, argue only parliament can authorize the use of Article 50. They say using royal prerogative to initiate Brexit would be unlawful because it would bypass lawmakers.
After around three weeks of deliberations, the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales -- Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd -- with two other senior judges, will announce their ruling later on Thursday morning.
The decision may give British lawmakers the power to delay the Brexit process. After the judgment an appeal to the Supreme Court could follow from the losing side.
The High Court in Northern Ireland ruled Friday the British government would not need approval from parliament to trigger Article 50, which would start the process to end the country's 43-year membership of the European Union.