This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk_politics/7463246.stm

The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Court rejects EU treaty block bid Court rejects EU treaty block bid
(30 minutes later)
An attempt to block Britain's ratification of the Lisbon Treaty has been rejected by the High Court.An attempt to block Britain's ratification of the Lisbon Treaty has been rejected by the High Court.
Conservative MP Bill Cash sought a judicial review of the ratification process after Ireland rejected the treaty in a referendum.Conservative MP Bill Cash sought a judicial review of the ratification process after Ireland rejected the treaty in a referendum.
He said it would be unlawful for the UK government to continue with it.He said it would be unlawful for the UK government to continue with it.
But in a ruling, Mr Justice Collins said: "It will be for Parliament, not the court, to decide whether the Bill should be passed."But in a ruling, Mr Justice Collins said: "It will be for Parliament, not the court, to decide whether the Bill should be passed."
On Wednesday, the UK effectively ratified the EU's reform treaty - despite the decision by Irish voters to reject it. He said ratification was "a matter of political not judicial decision" and Mr Cash's case was "totally without merit since it is an attempt to pursue a political agenda through the court".
A last-ditch Tory bid to delay the process for four months was defeated by a margin of 93, and peers later gave the EU Amendment Bill a third reading. 'Disreputable'
Royal Assent is expected shortly. However for the treaty to come into force it has to be ratified by all 27 EU members. Mr Cash said he was now considering whether to pursue the case further by seeking an oral hearing in court.
He described the government's decision to continue to ratify the treaty as "disreputable" due to the "legally binding" nature of the Irish vote.
He said: "Even Tony Blair as prime minister abandoned the original European Constitutional Treaty Bill when the French and the Dutch voted 'No' because he knew that that Treaty could not be ratified".
He said the same principle should be applied to the Lisbon Treaty.
Business tycoon Stuart Wheeler is, meanwhile, still awaiting a High Court verdict on his attempt to force a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.
Judgement due
Mr Wheeler argued that he had a "legitimate expectation" there would be a public vote after one was promised by Labour on the constitutional treaty.
Judgement was reserved after a two day hearing earlier this month but a decision was pledged "as soon as possible".
On Wednesday, the UK effectively ratified the EU's reform treaty and it is due to gain Royal Assent shortly.
The government will now deposit articles of ratification in Rome - but the treaty will not come into force until all 27 EU member countries do the same.
A last-ditch Tory bid to delay the ratification process for four months was defeated by a margin of 93, and peers later gave the EU Amendment Bill a third reading.
'Dangerous phenomenon'
The ruling came as European Union leaders travelled to meet in Brussels to discuss the crisis caused by the Irish "No" vote.The ruling came as European Union leaders travelled to meet in Brussels to discuss the crisis caused by the Irish "No" vote.
During the Lords debate four protesters were removed from the public gallery after voicing their demands for a referendum. European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso thanked the British government for its "constant support" for the new treaty - and he urged all other EU states who have yet to approve the document to continue the process despite Ireland's no-vote.
A woman was taken away shouting: "It's a democracy." She was followed by three more protesters, at intervals, demanding a referendum. "I believe the new treaty will make the EU more effective, democratic and stronger on the global stage," he said. "The treaty of Lisbon has now been approved by 19 member states.
Earlier, Gordon Brown dismissed a call by Conservative leader David Cameron to declare the Lisbon Treaty "dead" after the Irish rejection of it. "I call on all of those that have not ratified the Treaty to continue the ratification process."
The prime minister said he respected the Irish people's referendum vote, but the Irish government had asked for more time to discuss what to do in the wake of its outcome. UKIP leader Nigel Farage, who campaigns for Britain's exit from the EU, said President Barroso's "EU nationalism" was the "most dangerous political phenomenon to have swept Europe since 1945".
"Just as we have respect for the Irish, we should have respect for the other countries that are processing the treaty and ratifying the treaty as well," he said.
"And perhaps we should also have respect for this House, which has also voted for ratification of the treaty."
Mr Cameron hit back that he did not understand why Mr Brown could not bring himself to say the treaty was "dead".
"This is not a treaty that Britain wanted or needed," he said. "It's a treaty you were so ashamed of you had to sign it in a room all on your own."