Lawyers in the dock over Brexit blockage

During last week’s dramatic Brexit deal debate, Labour MP Kate Hoey, a longstanding opponent of EU membership, fell back on this adage when she homed in on unnamed legal types for thwarting the people’s will. ‘Had the result been 52% to remain and 48% to leave, does the house think that we, and all the lawyers, QCs and solicitors here, would have been beavering around trying to find a way to get a little bit of Canada or Norway into the remain decision?’ This was a little hard on at least one lawyer present, attorney general Geoffrey Cox QC MP, who emerged as a star of the government bench with a speech reminding colleagues: ‘You are not children in the playground, you are legislators.’ Settle down, class!