LONDON, Sept 24 - In a major setback for Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Britain�s Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled in a historic verdict that his decision to suspend Parliament in the run-up to Brexit was �unlawful�.
Commenting on the ruling, Johnson said his government would respect even though he �strongly disagrees� with it.
Johnson suspended, or prorogued, Parliament for five weeks earlier this month, saying it was to allow for a Queen�s Speech to outline policies of his new government.
However, Opposition MPs and many members of his own Conservative Party had accused him of trying to escape parliamentary scrutiny during a crunch phase ahead of the October 31 Brexit deadline.
Indian-origin anti-Brexit campaigner Gina Miller had challenged his decision in the UK High Court, which had referred it to the highest court of the country.
�The effect on the fundamentals of our democracy was extreme,� Supreme Court President Lady Brenda Hale said, as she handed down the verdict.
�The decision to advise Her Majesty to prorogue Parliament was unlawful because it had the effect of frustrating or preventing the ability of Parliament to carry out its constitutional functions without reasonable justification,� she said. � PTI
