Factortame

A landmark ruling in the 1990 Factortame case. A Spanish fishing company, Factortame, sued the UK government for restricting its access to UK waters. The Law Lords, who formed the highest UK court at the time, followed the European Court of Justice in ruling that the 1988 Merchant Shipping Act, which the government was using to support its position,could not be allowed to stand because it violated EU law. This controversial case established the primacy of EU law over an act of Parliament.