Court ruling will not delay Britain's Brexit timetable

A court decision demanding that MPs have more say over Britain’s exit from the European Union will make no difference to the government’s timetable to quit the bloc, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said Friday.

Johnson, a leading Leave campaigner, said Britain’s planned EU exit is a “huge opportunity”.

Speaking in Berlin, Johnson said he believed that the court decsion will not delay Prime Minister Theresa May’s plans to trigger Article 50.

“It’s very important to understand that this is one stage in a legal process, that the government is going to appeal that ruling, and I think that it’s very important to recognise that the British people voted to leave the European Union,” Johnson said after talks with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

“And that is what we are going to get on and do, and … no, I don’t think it will interfere with the timetable for that process.”

“I won’t make any secret of the fact, and you know that too, that I wasn’t overly thrilled by that,” Steinmeier said. “Nevertheless, Brexit is the clear and unmistakable position of your government. We regret that but of course we respect this decision.”

Steinmeier said “we should create the conditions as soon as possible for the negotiations to begin,” even if Britain’s Parliament does need a say.

The British government will appeal to the Supreme Court and a judgement is expected in December.

British voters decided in a June 23 referendum by a majority of 52 to 48 percent to quit the European Union.