British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman on Wednesday said “there is absolute respect for the independence of the judiciary,” in an apparent reference to criticism following a tweet from a journalist saying Downing Street suggested that the Scottish judges’ ruling was politically biased.
“Sources in No10 now hitting back at the Scottish judges, suggesting they are politically biased,” The Sun’s Political Editor Tom Newton Dunn tweeted, quoting those unnamed sources as saying: "We note that last week the High Court in London did not rule that prorogation was unlawful. The legal activists choose the Scottish courts for a reason."
“This is pitiful, pathetic and desperate from No. 10!” Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said in a retweet.
Former Justice Secretary David Gauke – one of the 21 Conservative MPs who were expelled from the party after voting against the government last week – also reacted on Twitter.
"It is neither responsible nor acceptable for 'sources in No 10' to accuse judges of political bias. Criticism of this type from within Government undermines the independence of the judiciary and, therefore, the rule of law," Gauke said.
Earlier Wednesday, the Court of Session in Edinburgh ruled that the government’s advice to the Queen to suspend Parliament was unlawful because its purpose was to stymy it.
