Scottish court will decide next week on legal case to stop Brexit

LONDON - 2 February 2018: A Scottish judge will decide early next week whether to refer to the European Court of Justice a case questioning if Britain alone can change its mind about leaving the European Union, a spokesman for Scotland's Court of Session said on Friday.

The decision will be announced on Monday or Tuesday.

The case, brought by a group of pro-EU lawmakers, is aimed at giving Britain the possibility of staying in the world's biggest trading bloc once it is known what Brexit actually means for the economy and politics.

Prime Minister Theresa May formally notified the EU of Britain's intention to leave by triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty on March 29 last year, starting a two-year exit process.

She has said she will not tolerate any attempt in parliament to block it. But British lawmakers defied the government in December by voting against May's wishes and securing parliament a much more substantial say on whether to accept the final Brexit deal.

Those behind the case, a group of opposition lawmakers, argue that once Britain knows what Brexit means, parliament may well decide to overturn the decision and so needs to know in advance if that is legally possible.