'We respect the law' Government gives support to embattled judges over Article 50 ruling
THE Government today voiced tentative support for embattled High Court judges who have been at the centre of a political and media maelstrom over their decision that only parliament can trigger Article 50.
Lord chancellor Liz Truss issued a lukewarm statement backing the globally "respected" British judiciary, but was immediately attacked by critics who said it did not go far enough.
The three judges, who on Thursday ruled against the Government over the constitutional process of activating Brexit, have been subject to criticism from leading politicians who accused them of attempting to "thwart" the referendum result.
But the reaction to the ruling, which included a succession of highly critical newspaper front pages, sparked consternation within the legal community which urged Ms Truss to voice support for Britain's judiciary.
In particular leading lawyers expressed concern that any questioning of the impartiality of judges could serve to undermine the rule of law and democracy on which Britain is built.
Pressure had been growing on Ms Truss all day to make a statement on the issue, with her lengthy silence sparking the mocking hashtag #wheresLizTruss which trended on Twitter.
And this afternoon, following hours of confusion, the lord chancellor, whose role includes upholding the independence of the judiciary, broke cover to try and calm the growing storm.
In a statement she said: “The independence of the judiciary is the foundation upon which our rule of law is built and our judiciary is rightly respected the world over for its independence and impartiality."
She also confirmed that the Government will definitely appeal Thursday's ruling, in which the three judges concluded that Theresa May did not have the power to exercise Article 50 alone.
Brexiteer David Mellor DEFENDS Article 50 judges
The independence of the judiciary is the foundation upon which our rule of law is built
The panel of three judges - the Lord Chief Justice Baron Thomas of Cwmgiedd, Master of the Rolls Sir Terence Etherton and Lord Justice Sales - concluded that the executive of Government cannot alone deprive people of their rights, including those bestowed by the EU, without the assent of MPs.
Ms Truss said: "In relation to the case heard in the high court, the government has made it clear it will appeal to the supreme court. Legal process must be followed.”
However, her brief statement was immediately criticised by political opponents who had urged her to speak out strongly against what they described as "serious and unjustified" attacks on the trio.
Responding to Ms Truss' statement Labour's shadow justice secretary, Richard Burgon, said: “All Liz Truss has done is recite the well-known principle of the independence of the judiciary. She has still failed to condemn these attacks on the British judiciary as being ‘enemies of the people’ and talk in the press of the sexuality of a judge.
“I’m afraid that it’s far too little, far too late from Liz Truss. The last few days mean that much of the legal community now has no confidence in the lord chancellor to fulfil her statutory duty to protect the independence of the British judiciary.”
The Daily Mail ran a front page story branding the three "enemies of the people", whilst the MailOnline initially published a headline calling Sir Terence an "openly gay Olympic fencer" before later removing it.
The Telegraph also attracted some criticism for running the headline "The judges versus the people", whilst in a front page comment piece, the Express concluded that the ruling marked "the day democracy died".
A number of senior politicians also criticised the judges' decision including the communities secretary Sajid Javid, who said it was a "clear attempt to frustrate the will of the British people".
However, Tory backbencher Stephen Phillips quit parliament after the Government announced that it would appeal the ruling. The MP, who cited "irreconcilable policy differences with the current Government", is believed to have been dismayed by Theresa May's efforts to sideline parliament over the Brexit negotiations.