Keith Taylor, MEP for the South East, is
among the politicians named today as plaintiffs in the ‘Dublin
Case’ which seeks legal clarity on revocability of Article
50.
Keith will join , Co-leader of the Green
Party of England and Wales, Northern Irish Green Party leader,
, and Jolyon Maugham
QC, Director of the Good Law Project, as a litigant in the
case.
The proceedings seek a referral to the Court
of Justice of the European Union on the question of whether
Article 50, once triggered, can be unilaterally revoked by the
UK government without requiring consent from all other 27 EU
Member States.
Mr Taylor campaigned passionately for Remain
in the EU referendum, but is clear that this case is about
giving all of the British and Northern Irish public a
‘choice’.
Keith Taylor, who represents the South East
of England in the European Parliament,
added:
“This case is particularly important as
we learn more about the Conservative government’s plan to force
an extreme Brexit on the public without a mandate to do
so.”
“I believe and Philip Hammond's
proposals to send the country hurtling towards an extreme
Brexit will see Britain as the ultimate loser in a global race
to the bottom on everything from environmental regulations to
workers' rights. The plan looks bad for Britain, the
environment, jobs, and, ultimately, the British people. If the
electorate reaches the same conclusion when the details become
clearer, they must have the choice of putting a stop to the
process."
The £70,000 costs of the litigation were
crowd-funded by Jolyon Maugham QC largely from small donations.
There were almost 1,300 donations of £25 or less and over 1,700
donations of £50 or less [1].
Jolyon Maugham QC said:
“In 2016 the Country looked at the
evidence and decided to leave the EU. I respect that decision:
Article 50 should be triggered. But no one knows what lies
around the corner. And it’s in our interests that we have the
option of remaining if new evidence shows that leaving is
damaging people’s job security or rights at work or our ability
to fund the NHS or national
security.
“Establishing that the Article 50
notification can be revoked gives us a free option in an
uncertain world. Whether to exercise that option is for the
electorate. But no one can deny that our national interest is
served by us having it.”
The plenary summons will be filed with the
Irish High Court on Friday. The Plaintiffs are targeting a
hearing date of the application for a reference of March or
April.
