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Britain facing constitutional clash over Brexit: Academic

Sunday, 12 March 2017 6:31 PM [ Last Update: Sunday, 12 March 2017 6:32 PM ]

A file photo of the UK Parliament in London on January 13, 2017.

A group of British legislators has accused Prime Minister Theresa May of endangering Britain’s national interests by not preparing for the real prospect that two years of Brexit talks could end in deadlock. Meanwhile, a leaked British Treasury report has warned of serious consequences if the UK abandons the European Union without a trade deal.

“A great constitutional clash is taking place,” because the House of Commons and the House of Lords “are using any device that they can to try to overthrow what was clearly expressed will of the British people in a referendum to go for Brexit,” Rodney Shakespeare, a professor of economics from London, told Press TV on Sunday.

The House of Lords wants to make sure that after a parliament vote, they would be able to take a vote on the whole Brexit decision, he said, adding, “This is ultimately a constitutional clash and the reality is that the British Constitution had evolved over the last 40-45 years.”

In a landmark referendum held on June 23, nearly 52 percent of British voters, amounting to more than 17 million citizens, opted for leaving the EU, a decision that sent shock waves throughout the world.

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The professor noted, “The referendum and its consequences ... are now a part of our constitution and therefore a political practice.”

Pointing to the impact of parliament's decision on the government, he argued that the House of Commons can always take a decision as it wishes and it is simply like a “vote of confidence.”

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