Court rules Johnson illegally closed U.K. Parliament

Britain’s Supreme Court on Tuesday overruled Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s shutdown of Parliament amid the Brexit upheaval. The 11 judges reached a unanimous decision that the five-week suspension, which received the approval of Queen Elizabeth II, was illegally done to hinder debate on Britain’s separation from the European Union.

What does this mean for Brexit? Parliament will have more input as the Oct. 31 Brexit deadline nears, but that just adds another layer of uncertainty to the process. Johnson has said the move was routine to allow lawmakers to prepare for the new legislative session that begins Oct. 14. He said he “strongly disagrees” with the ruling but conceded that Parliament will return. John Bercow, the speaker of the House of Commons, welcomed the judgment and called for lawmakers to resume work on Wednesday morning.

Dig deeper: Read past coverage from WORLD about the many obstacles that have stymied Brexit.