Brexit Supreme Court ruling could lead to Parliament stopping UK leaving EU, speculates German media

There is a one-in-three chance that the decision will be reversed, said the head of the German Institute for Economic Research

German Chancellor Angela Merkel (R) greets British Prime Minister Theresa May (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Britain's decision to leave the EU could be stopped entirely following the Supreme Court's ruling that Parliament must decide on it, according to the German media.

The Supreme Court decision means that Article 50 can only be triggered by a vote in Parliament, and not by the Government. But that decision might stop it happening at all, German newspapers have speculated.

Die Welt quoted the head of the German Institute for Economic Research, Michael Huether, who said that the political fallout from Brexit may become too much and the public and MPs may change their mind. That could happen when they realise the decision is economically unaffordable, he said.

There is a one-in-three chance that Parliament will act to stop Brexit altogether at some point, he told the German paper.

But other German papers disagreed with Die Welt and Mr Huether's projection. An editorial in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung cautioned that "Britain will leave the EU" despite the Supreme Court's decision.

Both Sueddeutsche Zeitung and news magazine Der Spiegel speculated that the decision might lead to a change in the timeline for Theresa May. But both suggested that Brexit will still happen, even if it takes slightly longer.

All of the German papers had the ruling as the top story on their website.