MPs are going to court in Scotland in a bid to stop Boris Johnson shutting down the British parliament.
The extraordinary move comes amid concerns that Johnson – who is expected to be named new Tory leader on Tuesday before taking over from Theresa May as Prime Minister on Wednesday – will try to suspend Westminster and take the UK out of the EU.
Scottish Labour MP Ian Murray is taking the case forward along with SNP MP Joanna Cherry and new Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson.
Plaid Cymru and Green parliamentarians are also supporting the move.
Murray said: “Boris Johnson’s dangerous and reckless proposal to shut parliament down is undemocratic and simply cannot go unchallenged.”
It follows a previous successful challenge at the Court of Session in Edinburgh which established the UK can abandon Brexit without having to get permission from other European states.
That challenge was led by Scottish parliamentarians, including Green MSP Andy Wightman.
The new attempt aims to use the “Wightman precedent” and win a legal “declarator” that the Prime Minister cannot lawfully advise the Queen to suspend parliament.
The challenge was sent to the UK Government’s legal representative in Scotland, Advocate General Lord Keen.
