THE UK Government will today defend its decision to suspend Parliament “robustly” in court in Edinburgh as MPs try to reverse Boris Johnson’s move in what they believe is a bid to ride roughshod over British democracy and force through a no-deal exit.

As the judge at the Court of Session prepared to hear a full hearing on the issue, the Prime Minister’s spokesman set out the Government’s reasoning for suspending Parliament, saying: “As we have set out, the Government needs to bring forward a strong domestic legislative agenda; proroguing Parliament is the legal and necessary way of delivering this.

"We will defend our position robustly. Anyone seeking to frustrate the Government's ability to set its policy agenda through court action should note the decision made in the Court of Session to reject the request for an interim injunction to delay prorogation."

Asked if the Government would appeal the ruling if it went against it, the spokesman declined to answer.

Commenting ahead of the hearing the SNP’s Joanna Cherry, QC, the lead petitioner in the case, said: “The dogs in the street know the real reason for the suspension of Parliament and it is now clear from statements made in public by Ben Wallace, the Secretary of State for Defence, Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Lord President of the Privy Council, and the Prime Minister himself, that the true intention behind the decision to prorogue Parliament is to prevent Parliament from holding the Government to account for its conduct of Brexit preparations...That purpose is unconstitutional and unlawful.”

The MP for Edinburgh South West said she and her parliamentary colleagues had “good prospects of success”.

She added: “Although we are in uncharted territory, it is significant that a number of separate legal teams have reached the same view as us and that litigation is proceeding in Northern Ireland and in London.”

Fellow petitioner, Labour’s Ian Murray, said: “This court action has been taken because we believe it is unconstitutional for any minister to deny sufficient time for proper parliamentary scrutiny of Brexit.

“We are seeking to prevent Boris Johnson proroguing Parliament and riding roughshod over British democracy.

“At the same time, in Parliament we will seek to prevent a catastrophic no-deal Brexit, and I urge Scottish Conservative MPs in particular to put the country before their party,” added the MP for Edinburgh South.