Spotlight: Judge rejects challenge in Belfast that would have stopped Theresa May triggering Brexit

The British government welcomed Friday a ruling by a judge in Northern Ireland over the way Prime Minister Theresa May plans to trigger the Brexit mechanism to leave the European Union (EU).

In what was seen as a landmark case at the High Court in Belfast, two separate challenges were lodged saying that the so-called article 50 mechanism should be decided by parliament, and not left to May and her government.

Although Britain voted by a margin of 52 to 40 in the June referendum to leave the EU, in Northern Ireland people voted by 56 to 44 to remain as a member of the community.

During the legal challenges in Belfast it was contended that the decision by May to use the Royal Prerogative to invoke Article 50 was illegal without first securing Parliamentary authorisation.

The challenges were lodged in Belfast by campaigner Raymond McCourt and a group of cross-party politicians from Sinn Fein, the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), the Alliance Party and the Green Party who want a parliamentary vote to kick-start the divorce between Britain and Brussels.

The politicians argued that the Brexit decision should be voted on by the Westminster parliament or by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Justice Paul Maguire ruled that the British government could use its prerogative power to trigger the article 50 mechanism, saying it was merely the start of a legislative process.

After the hearing in Belfast, McCord said he planned to take his case to the Supreme Court.

Downing Street welcomed the ruling and now await the decision of judges in a similar "Article 50" challenge in London. That decision is expected to be announced later this month.

A spokesman for the British Government said: "We welcome the Court's judgment which agrees with us that the Government can proceed to trigger Article 50 as planned.

"We will now await the outcome of the parallel cases under consideration by the England and Wales High Court, before setting out our next steps."

Meanwhile, former Labour prime minister Tony Blair entered the Brexit arena Friday saying Britain should keep its "options open" and should not rule out a second referendum.

In a radio interview Blair described the June 23 decision by British voters to leave the EU as a "catastrophe", saying it was vital to study the "real-life implications." He warned that negotiations with European political leaders would be "very, very tough."

His intervention was immediately dismissed by Downing Street with a spokesman saying the government was absolutely committed to seeing Brexit through.

Prime Minister May, who often repeats her mantra "Brexit means Brexit", has announced the government will trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty by the end of next March. That will start a two-year formal process leading to Britain leaving the EU in 2019. Endit