May: Parliament must accept referendum result and continue EU withdrawal plans

Parliament must accept that Britain’s vote to leave the European Union was legitimate and let the government get on with delivering Brexit, UK prime minister Theresa May said on Sunday.

Breaking her silence following a High Court ruling which saw judges side with anti-Brexit campaigners against the Government, the prime minister said she is confident of overturning the ruling that the government needs parliamentary approval to start the process of leaving the EU.

“Parliament voted to put the decision about our membership of the EU in the hands of the British people. The people made their choice, and did so decisively. It is the responsibility of the government to get on with the job and to carry out their instruction in full,” May said in a column for The Sunday Telegraph.

Ms May added: “MPs and peers who regret the referendum result need to accept what the people decided.”

The government, which has given little away about its plans for Britain’s future relationship with the EU, has said that having to set out a detailed negotiating strategy to parliament would put at a disadvantage in talks with the bloc.

“While others seek to tie our negotiating hands, the government will get on with the job of delivering the decision of the British people,” May said in a statement ahead of her first trade trip to India on Sunday.

“It was MPs who overwhelmingly decided to put the decision in their hands. The result was clear. It was legitimate. MPs and peers who regret the referendum result need to accept what the people decided.”

A coalition of anti-Brexit campaigners took a case against the Government, arguing Ms May cannot trigger Article 50 without consulting parliament. Their lawyers told the court, that constitutional law establishes that only parliament can take away rights of British citizens, and some rights would be lost upon losing EU citizenship, MPs must vote on whether to trigger Article 50 in order to begin Brexit's formal processes. The High Court backed the challengers and sided against the Government.

As a result, parliament could in theory block Brexit as most members supported staying in the EU in June’s referendum, although it is unlikely to do so. The ruling could allow lawmakers to temper the government’s approach, however, making a “hard Brexit” – where tight controls on immigration are prioritised over remaining in the European single market – less likely.

 A government appeal against the high court ruling is expected to be considered by Britain’s supreme court early next month. May has said she still plans to launch talks on the terms of Brexit by the end of March.