Jonathan Djanogly asks the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union why the Government has accepted that a notice under Article 50 cannot be withdrawn, if the Government had maintained that it could be reversed by Parliament, Parliament would remain sovereign.
Mr Jonathan Djanogly (Huntingdon) (Con)
The High Court judgment noted: “The Government accepts that a notice under Article 50 cannot be withdrawn once it has been given.” Why did the Government simply accept that? If they had maintained that triggering could be reversed by Parliament, would not Parliament remain sovereign, despite the Executive taking the decision to trigger article 50?
Mr Davis
The reason was not really a point of law so much as a point of constitutional and political reality. I did not see it as possible that we could reverse the decision of the British people.