Lord Chancellor Liz Truss stops short of condemning “attacks on judiciary” after Brexit ruling
Liz Truss MP. Picture: DENISE BRADLEY - Credit: Copyright: Archant 2016
A Norfolk MP is coming under increasing pressure to publicly condemn some of the reaction towards three judges who ruled against the Government in a case about Brexit.
But Liz Truss, the MP for South West Norfolk, said the independence of the judiciary was the 'foundation upon which our rule of law is built' - in response to demands that she condemn the 'serious and unjustified attacks on the judiciary'.
Her comment came after The Bar Council said it condemned the 'attacks' and that it 'regretted' the lack of public statement by the Lord Chancellor.
It follows a ruling by three judges that Prime Minister Theresa May must seek MPs' approval to trigger Article 50 taking Britain out of the EU.
It triggered a major backlash from some Conservative MPs, who called on Mrs May to take action, with former ministers saying she must 'make clear' that the independence of the judiciary is a fundamental element of British democracy.
Meanwhile the Daily Mail criticised them as 'enemies of the people', and the Daily Express called the ruling a marker of 'the day democracy died'.
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In its statement The Bar Council said: 'The Bar Council of England and Wales condemns the serious and unjustified attacks on the judiciary arising out of the Article 50 litigation,' it said.
'It regrets the lack of public statement by the Lord Chancellor condemning these attacks and calls upon the Lord Chancellor to do so as a matter of urgency.
'A strong independent judiciary is essential to a functioning democracy and to upholding the rule of law.'
The Lord Chancellor, a member of the cabinet, is responsible for the efficient functioning and independence of the courts.
