The European Union's highest court ruled on Monday that the British government could make a unilateral decision to withdraw from the bloc without consulting other member states.
The verdict was issued an emergency one day before a scheduled date for the British Parliament to vote on the exit agreement reached by Prime Minister Teresa Mae with the European Union.
The European Court of Justice said, "The United Kingdom has the freedom to derogate unilaterally from a notification in which the European Union has officially notified its intention to withdraw from it."
The verdict was in line with the opinion of the court's legal adviser last week. This has bolstered the hopes of opponents of Britain's withdrawal to hold a new referendum that would prevent their country from leaving the bloc on March 29, 2019.
Mai faces fierce opposition in parliament to the exit deal, and many expect it to be rejected by deputies, raising tensions in talks with the bloc when she heads for Brussels on Thursday for a summit with the bloc's leaders.
