UK Supreme Court Rules Suspension of Parliament Was Illegal

UK Supreme Court Rules Suspension of Parliament Was Illegal
UK Supreme Court Rules Suspension of Parliament Was Illegal
Prime Minister Boris Johnson hosts various members of the armed services at a military reception at 10 Downing Street in London on Sept. 18, 2019. John Nguyen/WPA Pool/Getty Images
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LONDON—In a major blow to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Britain’s highest court ruled on Sept. 24 that his decision to suspend Parliament for five weeks in the crucial countdown to the country’s Brexit deadline was illegal.

The unanimous, strongly worded Supreme Court judgment declared the order to suspend Parliament “void and of no effect.” The court found that Johnson acted to limit debate on Britain’s impending departure from the European Union in violation of Parliament’s constitutional role.