UK court says parliament act necessary to start EU exit

By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal

LONDON (AA) – The U.K. government will have to seek an act of parliament before triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which will officially initiate Britain’s exit negotiations from the European Union, the country’s top court ruled Tuesday.

The decision announced by the Supreme Court’s president, Lord Neuberger, said the ruling came with an 8-3 majority of the judges.

A referendum held last June saw British voters decide to leave the 28-member bloc, a decision which made David Cameron resign as prime minister shortly thereafter.

The ruling Conservative Party later nominated Theresa May as the new premier to lead the country’s exit negotiations with the EU.

However, a decision by the country's High Court said the May government could not trigger Article 50 without parliament's permission, but the government appealed this ruling at the Supreme Court, which took it up last December.

May has insisted her government will trigger Article 50 and said last week that her government will bring the final Brexit deal to the House of Commons for approval.