A high court in the United Kingdom on Thursday has ruled that the government does not have the authority to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty without parliamentary approval through a vote by members of Parliament, BBC reported. On October 2, British Prime Minister Theresa May said the United Kingdom will trigger Article 50, to begin the process of exiting the European Union, by the end of March 2017. Britain in June had voted to leave the European Union.

The government is expected to challenge the ruling in the Supreme Court before the end of this year. The High Court's ruling followed a petition, filed by a group called People’s Challenge, challenging the government's decision, The Telegraph reported. The pound rose to its highest since August by 1% to $1.2431, after the ruling increased speculations about a delay in the Brexit enforcement, Bloomberg reported.

According to the BBC report, if the Supreme Court supports the High Court's ruling, it would mean "months and months" of parliamentary obstacles. BBC's political editor Norman Smith said most members, however, were likely to support the enforcement of Article 50.

The dramatic results of the Brexit referendum led to stock markets crashing world-wide, and the resignation of David Cameron, who was prime minister at the time. Thousands of British citizens had demanded a second referendum, which was rejected by the Foreign Office. There has been pressure on the UK to start the Brexit process as soon as possible, following the referendum results.