Scotland will apply to the Supreme Court to intervene against the UK Government as it tries to overturn a Brexit court ruling.

Scotland's top law officer will lodge a formal application to join the legal challenge when it comes in front of judges early next month in an attempt to make sure MPs and Scotland's parliament have a say on triggering Article 50.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said "it simply cannot be right" that European Union membership "can be removed by the UK Government on the say-so of a Prime Minister without parliamentary debate, scrutiny or consent".

She added: "So legislation should be required at Westminster and the consent of the Scottish Parliament should be sought before Article 50 is triggered."

She said: "Let me be clear - I recognise and respect the right of England and Wales to leave the European Union. This is not an attempt to veto that process.


"But the democratic wishes of the people of Scotland and the national Parliament of Scotland cannot be brushed aside as if they do not matter."

Sturgeon: Scotland considers joining Article 50 battle

The High Court ruled last week that Theresa May could not trigger the formal divorce process with the EU without putting the matter before Parliament.

The Government immediately announced it would appeal against the decision at the Supreme Court and the case will go ahead on 5 December. It is expected to last four days.

Responding to the news in the Scottish Parliament, Ms Sturgeon said that Holyrood could join businesswoman Gina Miller and hairdresser Deir Dos Santos as "participants in that case".

Ms Miller welcomed the news and said: "It is absolutely welcome - the more parties that come together the more efficient a process it will be - it will reduce the amount of interruption to the Government's timeline."

Ms Sturgeon has also made clear that the 54 SNP MPs would "certainly not vote for anything that undermines the will or the interests of the Scottish people".

Sturgeon: 'Large parts of the meeting were deeply frustrating'

Mrs May has made clear she still intends to trigger Article 50 by her end of March deadline and has said she is confident of winning the case at Supreme Court.

However, as Sky News reported on Monday, the Government is quietly drawing up a bill to trigger Article 50 in case it loses the case.

At the end of a recent Brexit summit meeting with Mrs May, Ms Sturgeon said she was no clearer on the Prime Minister's strategy for leaving the EU than she was at the beginning.

She said there had been a "frank exchange" at the meeting but she had found it "deeply frustrating".

Ms Sturgeon said: "I don't know any more now about the UK Government's approach to the negotiations than before I went into the meeting."