Supreme court rules Brexit trigger needs parliamentary vote

London - The highest UK court ruled Prime Minister Theresa May must seek the permission of Parliament to trigger the two-year countdown to Brexit, handing lawmakers a chance to soften the government’s plan.

The court ruled against the government by an 8-3 vote, Judge David Neuberger said on Tuesday. The judges ruled unanimously, however, that legislatures in Scotland and Northern Ireland don’t get to vote on the Article 50 process.

The judges said the withdrawal will make a fundamental change by cutting off the source of European Union law, as well as changing legal rights.

The UK’s constitutional arrangements require such changes to be clearly authorized by parliament, and lawmakers must be involved in triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, they ruled.

The decision is a defeat for May’s argument that she alone had the power to begin the country’s withdrawal from the European Union.

The need to now win the approval of lawmakers threatens her March 31 deadline for starting the divorce talks, although most colleagues say they won’t try to stop the breakup given 52 percent of voters backed it in last June’s referendum.

Parliamentary critics of May including some within her own Conservative Party can seize the opportunity to shape her strategy amid concern she risks hurting the economy by jeopardizing trade to win control of immigration.