Will the Supreme Court be the enemy or friend of the people?

  • Brexit
The Supreme Court is to give its judgement in the legal battle over Brexit. Credit: Dominic Lipinski / PA

So at 9.30 on Tuesday, in a 6-minute summary of a much longer judgement, 11 Supreme Court judges will determine whether the Prime Minister can start Article 50 negotiations to leave the EU, without the consent of parliament and without formal input from the legislatures of Wales, Northern Ireland and - especially - Scotland.

My prediction is that the judges will say the consent of MPs and Lords is necessary, but that of Scotland, Wales and NI is not.

And that is where legal process ends and proper parliamentary debate about how we leave the EU should at last begin.

We'll see whether Theresa May can really commence the most important international talks on this country's future since 1945 on the basis of just one speech - the one given by the PM last week at Lancaster House - or whether MPs will insist their assent requires fuller disclosure of what Brexit means, even if they risk joining judges in being styled "enemies of the people" by the Daily Mail.