London High Court rejects legal bid against Parliament suspension

The London High Court has rejected the legal bid against Boris Johnson's plan of suspending the Parliament.

The London High Court has rejected on Friday the legal bid against Prime Minister Boris Johnson's decision to order the suspension of parliament from next week.

Johnson announced at the end of August that he would suspend parliament from mid-September to mid-October, just before Britain is due to leave the European Union on October 31, so the government could announce a new legislative program.

That prompted campaigner Gina Miller, who defeated the government over another Brexit issue two years ago, to challenge the order. She was later joined in the process by former Prime Minister John Major and opposition political parties.

Miller told reporters outside court that parliament should be sitting during such a crucial time for Britain's democracy, and she would not give up the fight. "The Supreme Court has penciled on September 17 for the appeal hearing," she said. "My legal team and I will not give up the fight for democracy."

Miller's lawyer, David Pannick, argued on Thursday that comments from Johnson showed an important part of his reasoning for the prorogation, or suspension, was that parliament might say or do something that impeded the government's Brexit plans. The legal challenge has lost some of its impact after lawmakers voted this week to force Johnson to seek a three-month delay to Brexit rather than leave without an agreement on October 31, a move that is likely to lead to an election.

Separate legal challenges to Johnson's Brexit plans are also being heard in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

On Wednesday, a judge at the Court of Session in Edinburgh rejected a bid brought by a cross-party group of 75 parliamentarians to block the suspension of UK Parliament. 

"In my view, the advice given in relation to the prorogation decision is a matter involving high policy and political judgment," Lord Doherty told Scotland's Court of Session.

"This is political territory and decision-making which cannot be measured against legal standards and only by political judgments."

(With inputs from agencies)