Back to legitimate expectation

The judge in the judicial review case taken by Stuart Wheeler has withdrawn to reserve judgement at a later debate.

Mr Wheeler is saying that he had "a legitimate expectation" that Gordon Brown would hold a vote on the Lisbon Constitution, what with him promising it in the manifesto he was elected under.

Philip Sales QC, appearing for the Office of the Prime Minister, asked the judge to block Mr Wheeler's application, saying that it was "not properly arguable" and should not go to a full hearing.

Which I think translates to: please don't give them any more coverage, it's terribly bad for the government as people are reminded of what lying scumbags we are.

He said Mr Brown and Foreign Secretary David Miliband denied that any representation had been made amounting to a promise that a referendum would be held prior to the ratification of the Lisbon Treaty.

So they're still sticking to that old chestnut - alone in the world on this opinion of course - that the Lisbon Treaty and the Constitution are not the same thing.

I will be very interested to hear the decision of the judge but won't hold my breath. As we have been told before by a representative of the government, whatever is written in a Labour party manifesto is complete shite and can be ignored at the whim of the government.