Barristers have launched a campaign to teach teens about Brexit after judges were branded “enemies of the people” following the High Court Article 50 ruling last year.
The High Court judges were slammed by the tabloid press in November for ruling that Article 50 - which triggers the process of leaving the EU - could only be triggered by Parliament, with the Daily Express branding it “the day democracy died”.
Every secondary school across the country will receive a “Brexit toolkit” next week to help teachers tackle the issues around Article 50 with their students.
The scheme, launched on Tuesday by the Bar Council and the Citizenship Foundation, comes on the same day the Supreme Court upheld that the government must consult MPs over Article 5.
The toolkit will teach teenagers about how the constitution separates powers between the government, the legislature and the judiciary.
Sam Mercer, head of policy at the Bar Council, said the lessons will help students “think critically” about government and the judiciary, regardless of their opinions on the ruling.
“We heard that a number of schools had struggled to find ways of talking to their students about the High Court ruling on Article 50 last year, when judges were branded in the press as ‘enemies of the people’,” Mercer said.
“How do you explain to a teenager that there is an argument for unelected judges in a democracy?
“Constitutional politics is not always easy to understand, but it is vital that our children properly understand how our government and judiciary work,” he added.
“A lot of young people will be following President Trump’s first week in office and they may be interested to learn that he has a big influence over appointing judges to the United States Supreme Court. They might also be interested to learn that the UK does things differently.”