Lord Advocate to have his say in the Supreme Court on Section 50

The Supreme Court has today confirmed that applications to intervene in the above case have been granted to The Lord Advocate in Scotland as well as The Counsel General for Wales and two other bodies, The ‘Expat Interveners’, George Birnie and Others and The Independent Workers Union of Great Britain.

Additionally, the Attorney General for Northern Ireland has made a reference to the Court regarding devolution issues relating to that jurisdiction. The Supreme Court has decided that permission to intervene is therefore not necessary.

Counsel for the Scottish Government and for the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain have been invited to address in their skeleton arguments the relevance of points of Scots Law, so far as they do not also form part of the law of England and Wales, to the determination of the present proceedings.

A further update on other applications to intervene, and a timetable for oral submissions during the hearing, will be issued by the court in due course.

Minister for UK Negotiations on Scotland’s Place in Europe Michael Russell said: “We welcome the decision of the Supreme Court to allow the Scottish Government to intervene in the case, however we continue to call on the UK Government to drop the appeal and to accept that Parliament has the right to determine the triggering of article 50.

“We recognise the decision of people in England and Wales to support Brexit, but the views of people in Scotland cannot simply be brushed aside.  The Lord Advocate will be making the case on behalf of the Scottish Government and he will set out his arguments to the court.”