Scotland will back a legal case against the British government’s plan to begin the “Brexit” process without parliament’s approval, according to a statement from the office of Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon on Tuesday.
Last week, the High Court ruled that the British government must seek the permission of parliament before it could trigger Article 50, the legal mechanism needed to officially begin the process of pulling out of the union. The British government is appealing the decision in the Supreme Court.
“The Scottish Government is clear that triggering Article 50 will directly affect devolved interests and rights in Scotland. And triggering Article 50 will inevitably deprive Scottish people and Scottish businesses of rights and freedoms which they currently enjoy,” the statement said.
“It simply cannot be right that those rights can be removed by the UK Government on the say-so of a Prime Minister without parliamentary debate, scrutiny or consent. So legislation should be required at Westminster and the consent of the Scottish Parliament should be sought before Article 50 is triggered.”
Scotland has its own devolved administration and parliament, but is still part of the British state. People in Scotland voted overwhelmingly in the June vote to remain in the EU and some politicians have threatened to hold a referendum to leave the UK if Brexit happens.
The statement emphasized that Scotland was not attempting to veto the process of leaving the EU but that Scotland’s parliament should not be “brushed aside.”