The UK government has launched its Supreme Court battle over the power to trigger the process of Britain leaving the EU. Much tension surrounds the decision, with both pro and anti-Brexiteers eager to have their say.
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Prime Minister Theresa May's government on Monday launched its legal bid over the power to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which would formally start the Brexit process.
Britain's High Court puts brakes on Brexit
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Court president David Neuberger began the proceedings with a warning about the threats and abuse aimed at those involved in the case. He said the 11 presiding judges would rule without any political bias.
The case has been brought by multiple plaintiffs, but is led by investment fund manager Gina Miller. Their argument is that the triggering Article 50 would strip British citizens of certain rights established under European law. The complainants say only parliament has the power to do this.
'A matter of prerogative'
Meanwhile, the government's main legal adviser, Attorney General Jeremy Wright, outlined the opposing case.
The necessity to consult parliament would, in the eyes of many analysts, dilute the hopes of many pro-Brexiteers that there might be a speedy "Hard Brexit," because parliament would be in a position to modify parts of the legislation.
Wright said the government had authority over foreign affairs, including the right to withdraw from treaties, under so-called "royal prerogative powers" derived from the monarch, Queen Elizabeth II.
'Not an ancient relic'
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This prerogative was "not an ancient relic but a contemporary necessity," Wright told legal representatives, press and public, who were gathered in the ornate neo-Gothic courtroom. Wright said parliament had "multiple" chances to limit the ability of the government to ever trigger Article 50 by its deadline of the end of March, but that opponents not yet done so.
The challenge was necessary after a High Court ruling early in November, which declared that the government needed approval from lawmakers. Tensions have been high in the aftermath, with some politicians and newspapers portraying the legal battle as an effort on the part of establishment judges to thwart the public will.
Protesters both for and against Brexit rallied outside the court for the start of the four-day hearing, some wearing judges' wigs and waving the EU flag. A small group of Brexit supporters waved placards saying: "This is an establishment stitch up."
It is the first time in the seven-year history of the Supreme Court that all 11 justices will be sitting. A verdict is expected in January.
Post-Brexit protests in Great Britain
Pro-EU or Pro-Brexit? Brits on both sides are worried about one thing: if and when the British parliament will trigger Article 50, the formal mechanism to leave the European Union.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. Tallis
"Brexit means Brexit!": Houses of Parliament, London, November 23, 2016
Around 200 Pro-Brexit protesters gathered outside the Houses of Parliament demanding a speedy exit from the European Union. They accuse the government of deliberately delaying the process by looking for loopholes to prevent Brexit.
Image: REUTERS/T. Melville
48% still make their voices heard
An EU-supporter protests outside the High Court in London as the Supreme Court announces that both the Scottish and Welsh Governments will be allowed to intervene in a court battle over how the Brexit process should be formally triggered.
Image: picture-alliance/empics/Y. Mok
A pro-Brexit supporter dressed as a judge…
…stands in front of an EU-supporter outside Britain's High Court. The battle over Britain's exit from the European Union reached the High Court in a legal challenge to Prime Minister Theresa May's right to start negotiations for Britain to leave the EU without a vote in parliament. The move could delay Brexit if successful and set up a constitutional face-off between the courts and the government.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/A. Dennis
Pro and counter protests: Parliament Square, London, September 3, 2016
Under the slogan "March for Europe" EU-friendly Britons protested in Parliament Square in central London. Up to 2,000 protesters took a route from Hyde Park to the British parliament building in Westminster. Protests also took place in other British cities, including Edinburgh and Birmingham.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. Tallis
Furious about the delay
At the same demonstration, a much smaller counterprotest took place. Brexit supporters with banners such as "No More Excuses, We Want Brexit Now!" vented their anger about the stalemate in Brexit proceedings.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/J. Tallis
Students in London protest against tuition fees...
…but also worry about the recent wave of xenophobia and racism as a result of the vote in June. Paul Bagguley, a sociologist at Leeds University specializing in multicultural conflict in Britain, says that Brexit "was a kind of celebratory racism, partly because there was a political campaign in the run-up to it which legitimized expressions of racism."
Image: picture-alliance/Photoshot
Marmitegate: Turning to practical impacts of Brexit
When the value of a currency drops, the price of imports rises. But the situation with Marmite has been more complicated. Although Marmite is produced in the UK, it is owned by Unilever, an Anglo/Dutch company. It claimed that the price of the popular yeast spread had risen due to Brexit. Supermarket chain, Tesco, reacted by refusing to carry it. Thankfully, an agreement was reached.
Image: picture-alliance/empics/Y. Mok
Frankfurt Christmas market in Birmingham at stake?
This year Birmingham is hosting the German christmas market, with 138 stalls. If the British government imposes permits and visas in the wake of Brexit, then stallholders may find it too complicated to come to Britain. They may turn to other EU countries instead.
Image: picture alliance/robertharding/F. Fell
Will European Christmas markets be too expensive for Brits?
But perhaps there's still reason to hope: Glühwein, wooden toys and Bratwurst will probably always be in demand. The organiser of the Frankfurt Christmas Market in Birmingham, Kurt Stroscher, told the Birmingham Mail: "Brexit and the low value of the pound will not have any effect on prices."
