Shropshire and Mid Wales MPs defend Boris Johnson in unlawful prorogation row
Conservatives in Shropshire and Mid Wales have rallied round the Prime Minister in the wake of the row over the suspension of Parliament.
MPs Lucy Allan, Philip Dunne and Glyn Davies all said the Supreme Court decision should be respected, but expressed concerns about what it meant for the relationship between the Government, Parliament and the judiciary.
Ms Allan, MP for Telford, said: “No one is suggesting that Government should have known what the Supreme Court would decide, given their finding was unprecedented.”
She said the decision to suspend Parliament was based on the legal advice at the time, which said it could be done lawfully.
"The Supreme Court held otherwise," she said, adding that the Government would fully comply with the judgment.
"No law was broken. No one knew what the Supreme Court would find before the Court hearing. Indeed a lower court had found the suspension was lawful. No lies were told.
"Those that make these claims are simply politicising the court’s decision."
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Ms Allan added that the court did rule the Government was entitled to suspend Parliament for a Queen’s Speech, but that such a suspension should be no more than six days.
She said those who said Prime Minister Boris Johnson should be held to account for his actions have the opportunity to vote for a general election which they have repeatedly refused to do.
"Parliament should not seek to prevent us leaving the EU and parliamentarians must now be held to account by means of an election," she added.
Philip Dunne, MP for Ludlow, said the decision could have a wide-ranging impact on the relationship between government, parliament and the judiciary.
He said: "It raises huge implications for the future over the growing role of the judiciary in ruling on our unwritten constitution and decisions of future governments with or without parliamentary approval."
Glyn Davies, MP for Montgomeryshire, said the judgment had changed the relationship between Government and the judiciary forever.
He said it was important to respect the judgment of the Supreme Court, but that did not mean he agreed with it.
"I think the 11 judges made a wrong judgment," he said. "But we live with it."
Mr Davies said it was too early to know what it meant in practice, adding that the ruling had not changed the position around Brexit.
"We still have a government determined to deliver the EU referendum decision of the people to leave, while we have a majority of MPs, plus the Speaker, who will do everything in their power to ensure the UK remains in the EU.
Mr Davies said while there might be a majority of MPs across the House of Commons who would support leaving the EU with a deal, the court ruling now made that less likely.
"The only sensible way forward is a general election," he said.
"For first time in my life, the Government wants an election, and all the other parties are stopping it, particularly strange because they have been demanding an election for many months."
Their comments came as Boris Johnson returned to face the Commons last night where he dared opposition parties to table a motion of no confidence or back a general election.
