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Brexit Ignites Interior Constitutional Problems | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Theresa May (Photo: Reuters/Neil Hall)


London – The British PM Theresa May has pledged to apply the two-year 50th article of Lisbon Treaty concerning the split from the EU before March. Brexit has been a discord topic between Britain and the EU, which calls for a swift separation, yet, Britain has procrastinated the negotiations’ date, considering that no need for rushing and that it has to enhance its position in the upcoming negotiations.

However, this is only the start of crisis in Britain; experts have warned from legal, constitutional, and bureaucratic challenges that may put the British Kingdom under major pressures. In a report entitled “Report Britain after Brexit”, experts considered that when the British people voted for exit from the EU, they launched a complicated unpredictable phase in their country.

This report considered that “the big omission law” which Theresa May intends to adopt will probably lead to maximize conflicts concerning policies on agriculture, fishing, environment, and higher education between the Westminster Central Parliament and the Regional Councils in Scotland, Wales, and North Ireland; which may threat the unity of the country.

Few days ago, the Court of North Ireland has rejected an appellate against Britain’s plans on Brexit; according to the Associated Press, in its final sentence, the Higher Court of Belfast said that repercussions of Brexit have been unclear concerning the Northern Ireland.

Lawyers of a group of objectors said that PM Theresa May has no authorities to use an old judicial franchise to justify her decision in starting negotiations of Brexit without a parliamentary voting.

The U.K. Government has insisted on its right based on sovereign provisions that provide it with a judicial franchise on behalf of the queen. It is worth mentioning that 56% of the people of North Ireland have voted against the Brexit compared with 48% in Britain in the referendum of July.

Theresa May received her counterparts in the parliaments of Wales, Scotland, and North Ireland to discuss the beginning of official negotiations with the block by 2017. Since Brexit, this meeting was the first for the four provinces that compose the threatened British Kingdom especially that the other three provinces have preferred to stay part of the EU. During the meeting, May said that this unity is the base of the Kingdom’s prosperity to achieve future successes.

However, officials in Scotland and North Ireland see that this initiative was not sufficient because their people have voted against Brexit. Before heading to London, Speaker of Wales’ Parliament addressed a correspondence to May in which he insisted on the importance of a parliamentary voting including the four provinces concerning the launch of Brexit procedures.

The launch of these procedures has been the first constitutional crises that may face the Kingdom, according to experts.