British PM Gordon Brown Holds Off Formal Ratification Of EU Treaty

June 20, 2008 10:05 p.m. EST

London, England (AHN) - A British High Court advised Prime Minister Gordon Brown to defer the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty until a lawsuit filed by millionaire Stuart Wheeler is first resolved.

Stuart, in his lawsuit, claims the ministers acted unlawfully by attempting to ratify the European Union treaty without holding a referendum in Great Britain, similar to what Ireland did.

Brown heeded Lord Justice Richard's advice, noting that the formal act of ratification has not yet been made through the deposit of legal papers in Rome.