THE Government will do "all that is necessary" to implement a ruling of the Supreme Court that Parliament must give its approval to trigger the process of leaving the EU, Attorney General Jeremy Wright has said.

Mr Wright said the Government was "disappointed" by the final decision in its historic battle over who has the right to authorise the start of withdrawal negotiations under Article 50 of the EU treaties.

MORE TOP STORIES:

But he said that ministers will comply with the ruling, which effectively means that MPs must be given a vote on Article 50.

Speaking on the steps of the Supreme Court, the Attorney General said: "The Government will comply with the judgment of the court and do all that is necessary to implement it."

The highest court in the land rejected an appeal by ministers against a High Court judgment blocking their decision to begin Britain's exit from the European Union without Parliament having a say.

Supreme Court justices ruled, by a majority of eight to three, that Prime Minister Theresa May cannot lawfully bypass MPs and peers by using the royal prerogative to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty and start the two-year process of negotiating the UK's divorce from its EU partners.

However, they unanimously rejected an argument that devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland must be consulted before Article 50 is triggered.

The ruling is a blow to Mrs May, who has repeatedly said she intends to trigger Article 50 by the end of March following the clear majority in favour of Brexit in the June 2016 referendum.

But she will be buoyed by the decision on the devolved administrations, which could have been much more significant in upsetting her timetable if it had gone the other way.

The court case was won by a wide-ranging group of anti-Article 50 campaigners led by investment manager Gina Miller, 51, and hairdresser Deir Dos Santos.

Supreme Court President Lord Neuberger said: "By a majority of eight to three, the Supreme Court today rules that the Government cannot trigger Article 50 without an Act of Parliament authorising it to do so."

Speaking after the ruling, Mr Wright said: "Of course the Government is disappointed with the outcome. But we have the good fortune to live in a country where everyone - every individual, every organisation, even government - is subject to the rule of law.

"So the Government will comply with the judgment of the court and do all that is necessary to implement it.

" The court has been very clear throughout this case that it has not been deciding whether the United Kingdom should or should not leave the European Union.

"The people of the United Kingdom have already made that decision.

"Now enacting that decision will be a political matter and not a legal matter."

Commenting on the ruling, Lord Chancellor Liz Truss defended the independence of the judiciary.

Ministers faced criticism for failing to back the High Court judges when they came under fire from some Brexiteers after their initial ruling last year.

Stressing that the UK would respect the decision of the court, Ms Truss said: " Our independent judiciary is the cornerstone of the rule of law and is vital to our constitution and our freedoms."

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said his party would not "frustrate the process for invoking Article 50" but would seek to amend the legislation to prevent the UK becoming a "bargain basement tax haven".

But the Liberal Democrats, who have just nine MPs but more than 100 peers, will vote against Article 50 unless there is a guarantee of the public having a vote on the final deal.

Lord Neuberger said the three dissenting justices considered that the Government could trigger Article 50 without an authorising Act of Parliament.

In their view "Parliament has not imposed any limitation on the Government's prerogative power to withdraw from the Treaties".

Giving a short summary of the court's findings, Lord Neuberger stressed: "The issues in these proceedings have nothing to do with whether the UK should exit from the EU, or the terms or timetable for that exit.

"The main issue is whether the Government can trigger Article 50 without the prior authority of an Act of Parliament.

"The other issues concern the obligations of the UK Government under the devolution legislation before triggering Article 50, and in particular, whether the legislatures in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland must be consulted."

The ruling was welcomed by Ms Miller, the lead claimant in the case against the Government.

Speaking outside the court, she told reporters: "Only Parliament can grant rights to the British people and only Parliament can take them away. No government can expect to be unanswerable or unchallenged. Parliament alone is sovereign, "This ruling today means that MPs we have elected will rightfully have the opportunity to bring their invaluable experience and expertise to bear in helping the Government select the best course in the forthcoming Brexit negotiations."