London: House of Commons speaker John Bercow on Tuesday said that Britain's parliament will prepare to resume proceedings on Wednesday after the Supreme Court ruled Prime Minister Boris Johnson's decision to suspend it unlawful.
"I have instructed the House authorities to undertake such steps as are necessary to ensure that the House of Commons sits tomorrow and that it does so at 11:30am (1030 GMT)," Bercow told reporters outside parliament.
Britain's highest court had ruled on Tuesday that Johnson's decision to suspend Parliament for five weeks in the crucial countdown to the country's Brexit deadline was illegal. The unanimous Supreme Court ruling declared the order to suspend Parliament "void and of no effect."
Supreme Court President Brenda Hale said the suspension "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 the court's decision means Parliament was never legally suspended and is technically still sitting.
In this nation without a written constitution, the case marked a rare confrontation between the prime minister, the courts and Parliament over their rights and responsibilities.
It revolved around whether Johnson acted lawfully when he advised the queen to suspend Parliament for five weeks during a crucial time frame before the October 31 Brexit deadline when Britain is scheduled to leave the European Union.
Johnson, who is in New York for the UN General Assembly, has refused to say whether he will resign if he is found to have broken the law, or will seek to shut down Parliament again. The decision followed three days of hearings last week before a panel of 11 judges.
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