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Judges at the European Union's highest court are to decide if the UK can "unilaterally' cancel Brexit.

The European Court of Justice is to hear a case this month reviewing whether Britain could withdraw its decision to leave the EU without the approval of other member states.

Luxembourg justices announced today they will sit on November 27 to hear the "Wightman case" from a Scottish court after anti-Brexit politicians sought clarification on Article 50 of the EU treaty.

There are suggestions this may be the same date Theresa May hopes to put her Brexit plans before parliament.

The news comes as Theresa May faces tense backlash over prolonged negotiations, which have hit a stalemate on the issue of an "Irish backstop".

Establishing that reversing the Brexit process can be done without the approval of other EU states could, argue those who brought the case, boost remainers' argument that British lawmakers should block the withdrawal before it happens on March 29.

It is not clear when the ECJ might rule on the issue, named after Scottish Green party member Andy Wightman, who led the action.

A court official said that typically, under the court's "expedited procedure" for urgent matters, a ruling would be made three to six months after such a hearing.

However, the ECJ noted in an order last month that there was "undeniably" a need for an urgent ruling before the British parliament votes on whether or not to accept a treaty with the EU setting out divorce terms.

Mrs May has faced renewed pressure over her Brexit plan as she faces calls to reveal the legal advice she received on the Irish border issue.

The government is pushing for a "Backstop" which would extend agreements for the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland until the divorce settlement can be agreed. Almost all other areas of the negotiations have been broadly agreed.

Yesterday, the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier threw cold water on hopes that a deal was on he horizon, as he said talks on the Irish problem were still at an impasse.

The Prime Minister will face a battle in parliament to approve any potential treaty, requiring a majority vote from MPs to back her plan. Dozens of Tories are reported to be rebelling, with some calling for a vote of no confidence.

A leaked government memo published by the BBC yesterday suggested Mrs May could be asking parliament to vote on the same day as the Luxembourg hearing, which would effectively make their ruling redundant.

A government spokeswoman said it was seeking to appeal the decision by Scotland's Court of Session to go to the ECJ.

"It remains a matter of firm policy that we will not be revoking the Article 50 notice, and we will not comment further on ongoing litigation," she added.

The cabinet submitted written observations to the ECJ on Tuesday, the spokeswoman said - restating its position that the ECJ should dismiss the case as it has long refused to rule on hypothetical questions or provide advisory opinions.

The Scottish Court of Session decided in September to pass on the case to the ECJ.

Jo Maugham, a lawyer funding the judicial appeal, described the ruling as an “absolute bombshell” for the government.