A tax lawyer has raised £70,000 through crowdfunding and appealed to the Irish attorney general for help in filing a case before the country’s High Court to fight the U.K. government’s Brexit process.
A so-called letter before action, the precursor to proceedings in the Irish High Court, will be issued Friday, and lawyers representing Jolyon Maugham will file their case on or before January 27.
Maugham also claimed to have “unconditional written confirmations” from several British politicians that they will act with him as plaintiffs in the case.
Maugham wants the Irish court to refer the case to the European Court of Justice to determine whether the U.K. can trigger Article 50 without consent from the 27 other EU countries. He also wants the court to decide whether once it is triggered, it can be unilaterally revoked by the U.K. without consent from the rest of the bloc.
British Prime Minister Theresa May has said that once Article 50 is triggered, there is no way to stop Brexit.
If the court rules Article 50 is revocable, the U.K. would be able to reject the Brexit deal struck by negotiators if it was “not acceptable to the U.K. parliament or British voters,” Maugham said in a statement.
The case will also seek to clarify what rights British citizens will lose after Brexit and when.
âThe United Kingdom must retain sovereignty over the shape of its future relationship with the EU,” Maugham said in the statement. “If we change our minds we must be able to withdraw the notice without needing the consent of the other 27 member states. I want to establish clarity for British voters and deliver sovereignty to the British parliament over the question of its future relationship with its biggest trading partner.â