Watch the moment the Supreme Court rules against Boris Johnson
24 September 2019, 11:20
Boris Johnson's decision to suspend Parliament for five weeks was unlawful, the UK's highest court has declared.
In a judgment from the Supreme Court, Lady Hale the President of the Court said that no justification for suspending Parliament has been put before the court.
She said no evidence had been given to the court to explain why it was necessary to "bring Parliamentary business to a halt for five weeks before that, when the normal period necessary to prepare for the Queen’s Speech is four to six days."
Lady Hale added the evidence did not discuss what time Parliament would need to spend debating any withdrawal agreement.
In a blow for Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Lady Hale said: "The Court is bound to conclude, therefore, that 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. "
