Ally Law member firm prevails in appeal of article 50 Brexit Challenge

David Greene, Senior Partner at Ally Law member firm Edwin Coe, is the solicitor for plaintiff Deir Tozetti Dos Santos in the Article 50 Brexit challenge.

Today Greene announced his client’s victory in the United Kingdom’s Supreme Court where the Government had appealed the lower court’s ruling in favor of the Article 50 challengers. Greene said the Supreme Court had decided that the rights attached to the U.K.’s membership in the European Union were given by Parliament and can only be taken away by it. He hailed today’s ruling as “a victory for democracy and the rule of law and we should all welcome it”. Greene further stated: “This has been a unique and difficult fight where the legal issues were often clouded by a polarised and politically charged backdrop. Yet as has been made clear by the Supreme Court and the Divisional Court this is a case, not about whether we should withdraw from the European Union, but about the domestic constitution of the UK and the relationship between Parliament and our Government.”

There is speculation that pressure caused by the Article 50 challenge lawsuit may have played a role in the Prime Minister’s announcement to give Parliament a vote on the Brexit deal after negotiations. Greene notes: “The time for the [Parliamentary] vote then is now on the principle of withdrawal and the inevitable removal of citizens’ rights that will follow both for citizens here and UK citizens in the EU.” Practical effects of the Article 50 challenge will unfold in the coming weeks.