UK Supreme Court rules Johnson's suspension of Parliament is unlawful

PanARMENIAN.Net - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's controversial five-week suspension of Parliament was unlawful, the UK Supreme Court has ruled, in a landmark decision that will have far-reaching constitutional implications, CNN reports.

Judges unanimously upheld an earlier decision by Scotland's highest civil court, which ruled that Johnson had acted illegally to suppress parliamentary scrutiny of his Brexit strategy.

The decision is a huge defeat for the Prime Minister. It will likely set off a bitter argument over whether the justices have strayed too far into the UK's political arena.

Announcing the findings, Supreme Court President Lady Hale said Johnson's advice to the Queen "was unlawful because it had the effect of frustrating or preventing the ability of Parliament to carry out its constitutional functions without reasonable justification."

Extraordinarily, she added that the prorogation was "void and of no effect," and that "Parliament has not been prorogued."

Johnson's decision to suspend parliament until mid-October was hugely contentious. Opposition lawmakers accused him of trying to shut down political efforts to stop a no-deal Brexit on October 31.

The government insisted the prorogation was constitutional, and normal procedure when a government wants to restart the parliamentary session with a new legislative agenda.