A LEADING Scottish lawyer has told the Supreme Court that the “mother of parliaments” is being shut down “by the father of lies”.
The remark from Aidan O’Neill QC, who is representing a group of around 75 MPs and peers led by SNP MP Joanna Cherry QC, came as he neared the end of his two-hour submission.
He is asking the court to dismiss the Government’s appeal against a ruling of the Inner House of the Court of Session in Edinburgh, which found that Boris Johnson’s advice to the Queen on prorogation was unlawful, because it was “motivated by the improper purpose of stymieing Parliament”.
O’Neill said: “I say to this court ... stand up for the truth, stand up for reason, stand up for unity in diversity, stand up for parliament, stand up for democracy by dismissing this government’s appeal and uphold a constitution governed by laws and not the passing whims of men.
“We’ve got here the mother of parliaments being shut down by the father of lies.
“Rather than allowing lies to triumph, listen to the angels of your better nature and rule that this prorogation is unlawful and an abuse of power which has been entrusted to the government.”
O’Neill added that the Government was showing itself “unworthy of our trust” as it used the powers of its office in a manner that was “corrosive of the constitution and destructive of the system of parliamentary representative democracy on which our union polity is founded”.
He added: “Enough is enough. Dismiss this appeal, and let them know that. That’s what truth speaking to power sounds like.”
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