The five British nationals asked Amsterdam District Court to refer their case to the ECJ on the grounds that their existing rights could not be removed as a result of the Brexit referendum in the UK.

Judge Floris Bakels ruled that two questions relating to their challenge should be put before the ECJ in the next two weeks, The Guardian reports.

The case was taken forward by lobby group Brexpats – Hear Our Voice, the five Britsih nationals, and the Commercial Anglo Dutch Society, with support and funding from Jolyon Maugham QC.

The British nationals’ lawyer, Christiaan Alberdingk Thijm, said: “This is a great victory because the questions are very important questions about the interpretation of law around EU citizenship.

“The judge is a former supreme court judge, so the arguments about the Lisbon treaty were followed by the judge. We need brave judges who are confident to refer questions like this to the ECJ.”