Northern Ireland crisis could delay May's Brexit plans

Belfast: Britain’s plan to trigger Brexit talks by the end of March could be delayed by a political crisis in Northern Ireland if the British Supreme Court rules that Belfast’s regional assembly must approve an EU exit, a lawyer for a Brexit challenger said.

Northern Ireland’s High Court ruled in October that the province’s laws did not restrict British Prime Minister Theresa May’s ability to trigger an exit from the European Union, and that the consent of the regional parliament was not required.

But human rights activist Raymond McCord appealed against the ruling to Britain’s highest judicial body, which will consider the argument when it rules in the next couple of weeks on whether May can begin the process without the approval of parliament in London.

A likely snap election in the British-run province that may be followed by lengthy renegotiations on the terms of the power-sharing regional government could delay May’s plans to begin the talks by the end of March, Mr McCord’s lawyer told Reuters.

“In the current circumstances, where there is a potential suspension of the institutions, the approval of the devolved institutions would not be possible,” Paul Farrell, a partner at McIvor Farrell Solicitors, said in a telephone interview.

“Devolution has obviously added a layer of complexity to the constitutional arrangements within the United Kingdom and this case is addressing those complex relationships now,” Mr Paul added.