This archive report was first published on 25 September 2019.
On Wednesday, British MPs will return to parliament after a landmark Supreme Court ruling declared Prime Minister Boris Johnson's decision to suspend parliament unlawful.
Published on September 25, 2019, the ruling has significant implications for Johnson's Brexit plans and his authority as Prime Minister.
Johnson had argued that shutting down parliament until October 14 was a routine move to allow his new government to set out a new legislative programme.
However, critics accused him of trying to silence MPs, and the Supreme Court ultimately ruled that the parliamentary suspension was 'void and of no effect' because it was unlawful.
Delivering the unanimous verdict, Supreme Court president Brenda Hale said, 'The decision to advise Her Majesty (Queen Elizabeth II) to prorogue was unlawful...because it had the effect of frustrating or preventing the ability of parliament to carry out its constitutional functions.'
Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the opposition Labour party, led calls for the prime minister to step down, saying, 'I invite Boris Johnson... to consider his position, and become the shortest serving prime minister there has ever been.'
Johnson is likely to resist such demands, insisting that he must take Britain out of the EU next month whatever the circumstances.
