Zoopla boss Alex Chesterman has been named by the political insider website Guido as being one of those behind a legal challenge to Brexit.
City law firm Mishcon de Reya is launching the challenge with the backing of a number of businesses which have not been named publicly.
Guido yesterday said it “can reveal one of the firms behind the action is property website Zoopla”.
However, Zoopla made it clear that as a company, it is not involved.
A statement said: “Zoopla is not involved in this matter. The action by Mishcon de Reya is being supported by a wide range of people including businessmen like Alex, academics and others who want to make sure that the correct constitutional process is followed since our withdrawal from the EU is complicated and we need legal certainty for the benefit and unity of all UK citizens.”
Those backing the legal action are demanding that an Act of Parliament is passed before Article 50 is invoked.
With this in mind, Mishcon de Reya, on behalf of a number of clients, have commenced a legal process to ensure the UK Government will not trigger the procedure for withdrawal from the EU without parliamentary approval and have, subsequent to his article, retained Lord Pannick QC to act as counsel in this action.
These steps seek to ensure that any Article 50 notification process is lawful.
I strongly encourage you to support this important issue. We want to ensure that this once-in-a-generation issue is handled properly under UK law with the correct constitutional process applied to an irreversible decision of this magnitude.
Please can I ask you to action as follows below:
1. Email Mishcon to lend your support/name to this process
2. Please use the hashtag: #mpstodecide and share/tweet the link to the Mishcon press release
3. Use this email as a basis to send your own version to your network to encourage wider support”
A sentence at the end of the Guido story is not in italics, and it is not completely clear if it is part of the email.
It reads: “If the referendum had been decided by FPTP, Leave would have won 440 seats to Remain’s 220. Good luck…”
First past the post is the electoral system which counts how constituencies vote; in the referendum, every single vote cast by an individual is counted. However, the view that had there been a first past the post system there would have been a landslide by the Leave campaign is widely shared
The proposed legal challenge has been met with derision among eurosceptic MPs.
Kwasi Kwarteng, Conservative MP and Brexit supporter, called the law firm’s manoeuvre “outrageous and incredibly arrogant”, while UKIP MP Douglas Carswell said: “I suspect this will confirm the worst fears of many of millions of people who fear the establishment trying to subvert the outcome of the referendum. If, as a result of lawyers, the clear majority view was subverted, then God help us, we would go into an extremely dangerous situation.”
http://order-order.com/2016/07/04/zoopla-behind-anti-brexit-legal-action/
Separately, easyProperty CEO Rob Ellice said yesterday that the number of inquiries it has received about listing properties has dropped since the Brexit vote.
He said that some stock has also come off the market.
However, he said that the number of buyers was unchanged.
He added: “With confidence in the buyer market, there is no reason to panic if you’re a vendor.”
Comments (37)
By the way, sorry that I went off the subject there but I am about to remove my membership of Zoopla due to chestermans stance.
We as a nation have made a democratic vote and we should (like it or not) accept and stand by it and work to make our UK a strong force moving forward, just as I and my company would have should the vote gone against my and those of my employees voting.
Afterall, don;t zoopla and all else live and fight by majority presense et al
Classic.Another example of cutting your nose off to spite your face. Just like the workers at Nissan and Hitachi in the North East .Clearly forgeting many global companies station themselves here seeing us as a safe conduit to access mainland Europe .Enticed by grants They like us the country and are ,English speaking .For example there are over 1,000 Japanese companies who have some form of base here who have now been slapped in the face who are very unhappy with Brexit and likely to vote with their feet As for the VW /Audi Mercedes BMW etc trade will diminsh here too as they are now 10% more expensive to buy with the falling £
There was a clear democratic mandate in a free and fair election with one of the largest turnouts in decades. If this result is overturned, ‘kicked into the long grass’ or ‘fudged’ by ‘legal’ means or otherwise, it is highly likely that there will be very serious major public order problems. Democracy could well become viewed by government and the electorate as an optional ‘nicety’ that should be obeyed when it suits. That, is the way of anarchy and dictatorship.
Imagine, for a second, the proposed legal case won. Where would that put the UK on the world stage of politics, human rights and business? One of the most stable, respected democracies on the planet ignored a referendum of the British public…. What signal would that send to the people of the UK, our allies, other trading nations and, to despots around the world?
This firm and its supporters are playing a very dangerous game.
The general British public will not allow the result to be overturned. There is legal precedence that will make any attempt fail, as well as the UK would become the laughing stock of the democratic world. The “establishment” will never ever entertain going down that route. Just ridiculous idea in the first place but then is anyone surprised by Zoopla attitude. Probably done themselves even more harm than they realise when the public get to hear about it?
I was happy to listen to both sides of the argument and was happy with my decision come vote day, the only people asking me what my vote was, was remain voters and when I told them which way I was going, all of a sudden I was back at school with the bulllies.
What am I? an idiot? a racist? or just uneducated!
The mistake made was giving us the vote because voting out created outrage and fright for the EU (without us in a war or challenging situ, they are a weak unit, this includes the USA)and voting in meant our government was surplus to the EU and the MEP’s could tell our government that they were irrelevant because we (the people) had voted to stay and that meant that they could do what they liked without the acceptance of our elected government so my vote went against a biased,bossy,politically choosey and bent EU.
Hey its just my opinion but in the long view are the EU really going to hit us hard when AUDI, PEUGEOT, MERCEDES, VW and many others like these are going to rail against us when we actually accept more import from the EU than we export!!
I think the EU need us more than we need them for more reasons than we need to stay in, yes its a rocky ride only because we are back to a being an independent protective nation for the world and weren’t we here before, when France needed us and Germany didn’t! God forbid my Grandfather turning in his grave, that he fought for freedom and low and behold those that we protected and those we beat now boss us, controversial it may be but I am prepared to put my opinions above the parapit to be shot at by lesser (invisible people) but this is a good thing for the UK, the decision is made so make the best of it, start thinking and working positively because we as a nation excel always no matter what.
The mental state of anyone launching a legal battle to oppose the result of the referendum has to be in question in my opinion.
What that says about the Zoopla hierarchy I am not qualified to say!
A case of they know best or should it be put, they didn’t get their way when they lost fair and square. Wake up this is democracy. If they follow this route all they are going to do is make themselves even bigger idiots and make a shed load of money for barristers only to happy to earn big bucks without a hope of winning. They would do better coming to realisation they lost and moving on. The world isn’t going to stop but this self righteous, I want my way attitude is only going to make things a longer drawn out separation which will be damaging for smaller companies. Like many divorces the ones that come up trumps are those that accept the situation and reach an early agreement. There is no going back and anyone who thinks they can change the result are deluded.
Lucy Alexander has quit Homes Under the Hammer!!!! HOW ARE WE NOT MENTIONING THIS!?!?!?!!!
Oh dear you lost, get on with life and except it.
The ‘leave’ camp did not accept it for more than 40 years.
I expect the same will happen now in reverse.
Nigel Farage may not have accepted it but the rest of us did and we have now decided that we want change and change that we are in charge of, join in or let the ulcers fester within, God I seem to be on a mission tonight.
Every other advanced democracy, with the exception of the UK, has a written constitution. All those democracies have an in-written requirement for a minimum of 60% majority for major constitutional change and usually require a two thirds (66.66%) majority. In the event of a vote of over 50% and under the trigger, ensuing events are taken into account, major discussions and negotiation take place and there is usually then another vote. Cameron could easily have built that percentage into the referendum vote. We are now a completely divided country with Dublin already starting to take our financial services from the City and nobody knowing what is going to happen next. We are the laughing stock of the World.
He could have done, but he didn’t. He went for a simple majority which is what was achieved. Are we the laughing stock of the world? I don’t believe so however, it is possible that those who failed to win the argument, lost the vote (or didn’t bother too) and are now throwing their toys out of the pram are in grave danger of doing so.
what a crock of mire! Dublin is not part of the EU and we wont lose much business there however using your rule of thumb or argument then all it takes is for good (or in this case undecided or abstainers) to do nothing for evil to succeed.
I meant UK not EU
I wonder how many people voted leave as a “protest vote” never thinking they would actually get the majority vote and are perhaps secretly wishing the outcome was remain ?
Separately, easyProperty CEO Rob Ellice said yesterday that the number of inquiries it has received about listing properties has dropped since the Brexit vote.
I am amazed they chalk it up to that rather than the conclusion that is obvious to most of the rest of us. Still that’s megalomania for you!
Doesn’t really explain their turnover figures which are a measure of performance before Brexit was a word many of us had heard of.
A poor salesman’s excuse for poor performance that only a poor board would swallow!
Maybe another fruitless campaign for case hub?
Ha, clearly they are still reading PIE!
Trawling the net for worth while causes 😉
One response to the legal action is given by Lawyers for Britain:
“Mishcon’s proposed challenge is devoid of all legal merit. As a matter of law, giving of notification under Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union is a matter of Crown prerogative. No Act or other parliamentary approval is required before this is done. In the European Union Act 2011, Parliament has chosen to require parliamentary approval before ministers are allowed to take certain actions under the European treaties, but notably has not extended any such restrictions to Article 50. Any argument that there is an implied restriction is therefore quite hopeless.
As a matter of constitutional and political authority, the decision of the British people in a national referendum authorised by Act of Parliament not merely permits but mandates the giving of notice, without the need for any vote by Parliament. It is deeply objectionable but sadly not unexpected that those who suffer from a deep-rooted contempt for democracy should resort to legal antics of this kind in an attempt to frustrate the democratic decision of the British people.”
Martin Howe QC
Chairman
Lawyers for Britain
Others disagree with Howe. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-loophole-eu-referendum-mps-law-legal-legislation-constitution-a7105181.html
The outcome of the EU referendum has been a surprise to many people but what is more surprising and alarming is the reaction to democracy at work. It is very troubling indeed to see such contempt for the will of the people although very interesting to see if our system works. Will wealth and/or dark politics be able to buy or out manoeuvre what the British people have decided?
A very slim majority of those who voted made a decision, we all have to respect and live with that decision.
The youngsters that didn’t vote can’t go blaming anyone for the outcome; rearranging the formulae and breakdown of the turnout only half as many youngsters used their opportunity to vote as did the older generation they are blaming, the middle two generation cancelled each others affect. We are left with a situation that has to be dealt with.
Personally I am relieved Cameron, Johnson, Farage and co won’t be shaping our future so I am more relaxed about Brexit (only Gove & Osborne to go and I will relax totally) There is an opportunity to put a broom through our politics and work towards an equitable society based on effort and reward (Australia style)
In respect of Mr Chesterman and his chums; its their cash, they can waste it on whatever they like and if successful can deal with the consequences. There is nothing more powerful than democracy.
On my on macro level I will be happy if we end up with Housing being an apolitical department within government that does not need to cope with 5 yearly election upheavals and is immune from party politics. An intelligent approach to housing from full social right through to investment provision is required and we currently have an opportunity to achieve that.
If public opinion turns in a couple of years would it not be equally democratic to re-visit the decision?
It seems to me that the argument that the decision is democratic and therefore final does not stand any sort of reasonable scrutiny.
All the EU treaties were also agreed by a democratically-elected Parliament.
It would, but it seems to me we now have an opportunity to do something different and better so public opinion doesn’t turn in a couple of years. All of a sudden Westminster has only itself to blame.
I can actually see how the what I suspect to be a cunning plan has blown up in faces of the hard line leave and the hard line remain and there is a slither of opportunity to do good.
The hard line leave won a democratic vote that could have gone either way and which did swing each way throughout the night for those who bothered to sit up to watch history being made. Regardless of what anyone says I would rather hear narrative from big business and individuals who backed Brexit, lost £Millions due to Brexit and still stand by their beliefs that Brexit is the best long term option. Anyone who has £Millions, jumped on the fear bandwagon, who voted remain, lost and is now vigorously throwing their dummy out the pram only has their own self centred agenda as their primary focus.
Brexit was, is and will always be about so much more than money and thankfully even hard line remainers have started to see that every media driven dark cloud has a silver lining; something the leave camp have long believed and will one day be thanked for. Unfortunately, that day is being hijacked, delayed and opposed by those inconsiderate enough to believe that there is no other way than their broken way. EU held a dimly lit torch for 40+ years and it worked for a while, but now it is time to get out of the way. Stand aside, Global Britain is coming through and the media may as well jump aboard as well as the Zoopla boss. Embrace it.
Silver lining? Where?
Well you will be hard pushed to find a silver lining while zeroed in to mainstream media. I suggest you go out and look for other opinions away from the establishment narrative. I’d hazard a guess that the sliver lining won’t be realised today and maybe not even tomorrow, but the ones doing the most harm now are those who would prefer to pave the way to failure purely because they didn’t get their way and it would look terribly silly if what they had told the world would happen doesn’t now happen. Thankfully, saving face and due to the mass media hysteria the stocks crashed they way they said they would and then recovered. The pound crashed the way they said it would and then recovered. Yes very trying times ahead, but as the chap above, Robert May said, it is now time to put a broom through politics and I would add ram a broom firmly up the financial and banking sectors too. These systems are broken and urgently require reform. Cameron & Osborne dug themselves into a hole so vast they knew there was no way out. Either way. So for now they get to blame Brexit for their misgivings. Had we stayed in they would have in time blamed Europe when it implodes. Fickle bunch these politicians I think we can agree.
So… No actual silver lining, then?
The Pound hasn’t recovered, in fact it has just broke another 31 record low just today.
The FTSE100 recovered because those companies aren’t the ones affected and the fall of the Pound makes it cheap for international investors.
The FTSE250 is down about 10% on 23rd June. It is dropping 2% today.
I don’t think the establishment is manipulating any of these.
So whats your point Romain? The rich are losing a few quid, you don’t like it and none of this would have happened had we just stayed in? Its going to get a lot worse before it gets any better, but whinging about it and chasing a 2nd referendum or ruling to overturn the triggering of Article 50 isn’t going to fix decades of banking and financial abuse. The next swipe at GBP is coming from the Italians and I suppose we should take your view that if only we had stayed in all of the baddies and years of poor decisions would just leave us alone?
Democracy is that when most of the people want something it should happen?
Then was the referendum democratic, should not all the people have to vote even if to spoil their vote as in Australia?
Then can you have conditions set up so that things do not keep swapping back and forward as per the latest Headline/Report – a Leave person thought so and set up this set of rules as a petition to parliament
“Implement a rule that if the remain or leave vote is less than 60% based a turnout less than 75% there should be another referendum.” see https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/131215/ nearly 10% of the electorate have signed forget the ones outside uk, that may have a vote 10237 who are in the Witney Constituency.
For you information the actual votes cast were as follows
Leave 37.4%
Remain 34.7%
Failed to vote 27.8%
Add to that the 2 areas of the UK voted In, and 2 Out does bring the whole thing of democracy into question.
The fact is that the whole thing is a farce, the Leave side could promise anything they were as a group never going to have to deliver. The government setting this up should have set it up properly so that people knew what out really would have looked like maybe by negotiating two deals with the EU prior to the vote.
The vote was like deciding that at a break point in a fixed mortgage deciding you did not like the company and in 2 years you are going to leave not knowing what terms from others may be available what FA would advise such a silly action.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but most good businesses would not have taken the action the government took in the operation of this Referendum.
Firstly you need better grammar or be a UK resident, a UK tax payer and voter to have an opinion then you need to accept that in a democracy those that vote is that that is the electorate, if the vote was to remain would you be pointing out your invalid points of view, I don’t think so!
Either accept that this is it or go back to where, after you have made your money, where you deem to be your home and your opinion and vote will actually count.
We hear from other countries, their opinions and what they believe to be the right way but please let us decide (rightly or wrongly) what our destination for the time being will be.
Dyslectic and not help by poor UK education system and I do not need you to inform me of that.
Also I did not point out anything in favour of any side I made comments on the the process.
Oh and by the way, if we used your strategy on numbers then the SNP would not have the strength that they currently have but UKIP would be a very strong force both here and in Europe, you cant have it both ways!
We decided on our future, you either step up and join with us or you go back to yours and develop a country/government willing to listen and grow with you and your children etc, but you chose to come here,why?
I would be most interested to hear Mr. Pryor’s views on this subject or alternatively perhaps the opinions of real people whose reputations provide them with a platform of credibility for their views.