UK government to appeal Brexit ruling within days

[LONDON] The British government said on Monday it would appeal this week against a High Court ruling that the prime minister cannot start the process of leaving the EU without parliament's approval.

"It's likely that any hearing will be scheduled in the Supreme Court in early December," Brexit minister David David told parliament just days after Thursday's shock ruling.

"We would hope the judgement would be provided soon after," he said.

"This timetable remains consistent with our aim to trigger Article 50 by the end of March next year," he said, referring to the formal step to begin negotiations with the EU.

Prime Minister Theresa May said on Friday the government's planned timetable to launch Brexit talks with Brussels remained "unchanged", while admitting she was disappointed with the court's ruling.

Her comments came a day after judges ruled that MPs must have the chance to vote on the process to leave the EU, dismissing the government's claims it has executive privilege to trigger Article 50.

The judgement prompted an angry response from the pro-Brexit camp, which has argued such a decision could see pro-EU lawmakers seek to block Ms May's attempts to begin formal exit proceedings.

"The government is getting on with delivering what people voted for on June 23, which was for Britain to leave the EU," Ms May told the BBC during her visit to India.

The referendum saw 52 per cent of Britons vote to leave the 28-nation bloc, against 48 per cent who voted to maintain the status quo.

AFP