Home
/
RELIGION & LIBERTY ONLINE
/
5 facts about the UK Supreme Court’s Brexit decision
5 facts about the UK Supreme Court’s Brexit decision
Aug 31, 2026 7:22 PM

This morning, the UK Supreme Court ruled that Brexit may not go forward unless Parliament votes to authorize withdrawal from the European Union, despite the fact that the motion won a national referendum last year. Here are five facts you need to know about British citizens’ attempt to reassert their sovereignty by leaving the Brussels-based international government body.

1. Brexit passed handily and remains popular in England. Parliament voted in June and December 2015 to allow for a national referendum on Brexit. Last June 23, approximately72 percentof UK voters took part in the election, voting 52 percent to 48 percent to leave the European Union –primarilyover the right to restrict immigration from the rest of the EU. A recent poll found that53 percentof Brits would support leaving the European Union regardless of the final exit agreement’s details.

2. The Supreme Court ruling does not halt or overrule Brexit. Today’s 8-3 ruling is a procedural issue, not a substantive one. The president of the UK Supreme Court, Lord David Neuberger, said, “The referendum is of great political significance, but the act of Parliament which established it did not say what should happen as a result.” Thus, Parliament must officially vote to trigger Article 50 of the 2007 Lisbon Treaty, allowing member states to leave the EU. “The government cannot trigger Article 50” without an act of Parliament ordering it to do so, Lord Neuberger said. Opponents say this disregards the will of the people, while supporters call today’s decision a victory for parliamentary sovereignty.

3. The Conservative government will act swiftly – but the parliamentary process could greatly slow the process. Brexit Secretary David Davis said he will introduce a bill – possibly only one line long – in Parliament within days, and Prime Minister Theresa May stillexpectsArticle 50 to be triggered “by the end of March.” Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said that, while his party “will not frustrate the process,” he wants a vote on the final agreement in order to “prevent the Conservatives using Brexit to turn Britain into a bargain basement tax haven.” Staunch Remainers say that muscular opposition could stall Brexit for up totwo years,on top of two-year withdrawal process. Liberal Democrats and the Scottish government want a second national referendum after the final agreement is negotiated, a position favored by only26 percentof the British people. Fewer, only 12 percent, think Parliament should have final say.

4. Westminster doesn’t have to consult the “devolved” governments: Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. That’s good news for Brexit. While a majority of voters in England and WalesvotedLeave (53 percent each); Scotland (62 percent) and Northern Ireland (56 percent) voted to Remain. Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister of Scotland and leader of the Scottish government, has vowed tointroduce50 “serious and substantive” amendments to the Brexit bill to stall the process.

5. Virtually all Brits want to remain in the European single market, a massive free trade zone that includes both EU and non-EU member nations. A poll found90 percentof people, regardless of how they voted on Brexit, hoped to remain in the European Economic Area. However, the nation need not remain in the EU to enjoy that access. Three nations – Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein – are not part of the EU but enjoy access to the EEA single market as members of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). A fourth EFTA member, Switzerland, has negotiated numerous bilateral trade agreements (Switzerland) granting most Swiss industries access to the EEA. In 2015, trade with the EU accounted for44 percentof UK exports (£223.3 billion) and 53 percent (£291.1 billion) of the UK’s imports.

/ Shutterstock)

Comments
Welcome to mreligion comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
RELIGION & LIBERTY ONLINE
Call for Universal Preschool Misguided
Michigan’s State Board of Education is now calling for expanded funding to pay for universal preschool for 3- and 4-year olds. One could hope that this news story slipped through a worm hole from a parallel universe in which Michigan has a budget surplus, where businesses are flocking to the state to take advantage of a business-friendly tax structure, and where government-funded preschool strongly correlates with future educational performance. But no, the es from our universe, where the state of...
Rev. Sirico: Catholics vs. Gov. Walker?
On CatholicVote.org, Kathryn Jean Lopez interviews Rev. Robert A. Sirico about various bishops’ statements concerning the budget battles and labor union protests in Wisconsin: Kathryn Jean Lopez: The archbishop of Milwaukee issued a letter a few days ago on the rights of workers, noting that “hard times do not nullify the moral obligation each of us has to respect the legitimate rights of workers.” Does that mean he is on the side of Democratic lawmakers who are hiding out on...
Voluntary Association and Union Politics
In light of the recent events in Wisconsin and the statement published by the state’s Catholic bishops, we’re republishing this 2005 article from the Acton Commentary archives: Voluntary Association and Union Politics By Charles W. Baird The 50th anniversary celebration of the AFL-CIO in Chicago has been marred by internecine strife. The Teamsters and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) have broken away from the Federation, reducing its membership by 25 percent. At least three other unions – UNITE-HERE (textile...
Rev. Sirico: Church Changes How it Deals with Organized Labor
Rev. Robert A. Sirico is interviewed by Joan Frawley Desmond, a reporter for National Catholic Register, in today’s paper: Father Robert Sirico, president of the Acton Institute, a free-market think tank, suggested that the bishops’ response to the union protests marked a new era of episcopal leadership and a more nuanced understanding of economic realities in the United States. He noted that both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI had sought to reorient an overly politicized approach to...
Acton’s ‘The Call of the Entrepreneur’ premieres in Italian Diocese of La Spezia
The original Article Who’s Responding: “The Call of the Entrepreneur” in La Spezia was written by Francesco Bellotti for the Italian newspaper “Avvenire” (translation and editorial contributions from Michael Severance): Kishore Jayabalan responds to questions in the industrial city of La Spezia “The Christian entrepreneur is not the person who goes about wealth creation all week and then leaves a nice offering at church on Sunday. Rather, he is exemplified by the type of person who gives the best of...
Acton Institute is Hiring New Talent
I am Acton’s Web Coordinator, which means I’m behind the scenes making sure everything works in regards to our web presence and munications. My first post to the Acton PowerBlog brings good news, which is to make everyone looking for a career or internship aware that Acton is hiring talented individuals to fill several positions. We have a very good internship program that runs primarily during the summer. Interns help out departments including programs, media, publications munications. You might be...
Are Rising Food Prices a Result of the Ethanol Subsidy?
Economies across the globe are struggling, and rising food prices are not going to make life any easier. The Acton Institute raised concern for rising food prices, especially corn, in 2007, when Ray Nothstine wrote mentary on, and at the time, record prices for corn, resulting in revolts in Mexico due to rapidly rising prices for tortillas. mentary brought to light unintended consequences of ethanol and its subsidy, including rising food prices. And again, with food prices on the rise,...
Kuyper on Secularism
From Abraham Kuyper’s opening address to the First Social Congress in Amsterdam, November 9, 1891, The Problem of Poverty: The first article of any social program that will bring salvation, therefore, must remain: “I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.” This article is today being erased. Men refuse any longer to recognize God in statecraft. This is not because they do not find the poetry of religion charming, but because whoever says I believe in...
Does Ethanol Production Promote Sound Stewardship?
After taking a look yesterday at economic consequences of rising food prices along with the affects ethanol may have on the rising food prices, a moral perspective must also be taken into account. As I stated in my previous blog post, the World Bank says rising food prices have pushed 44 million more people into extreme poverty in developing countries since June of 2010, and are having an adverse effect on people around the globe. The increase in demand and...
Unions and Catholic Social Teaching
The issue of labor unions has recently been a cause of much heated debate. Throughout the United States, there are many states facing budget shortfalls and are trying to rejuvenate struggling economies. State expenses are being slashed, and union benefits are just one of many expenditures on the cutting block for many states. Recent events in Wisconsin have caused many people to engage in the debate of union benefits, and many more are still left wondering where to stand on...
Related Classification
Copyright 2023-2026 - www.mreligion.com All Rights Reserved