A former hippie traveller from Stroud is taking on an old Etonian prime minister to ensure the law of the land is upheld when it comes to Brexit.

And that hippie has just claimed a 1-0 lead in the battle that is set to keep both the man and the mission in the headlines in the next week.

That's right. Just when you thought it was safe to assume that the headlines over the UK leaving the EU could not get any more absurd, along comes the next twist in the tale.

On Thursday evening, Ecotricity founder Dale Vince announced that he is helping to fund the legal challenge made against Boris Johnson's government in Scotland's Court of Session.

Thanks for your messages and support so far. As crazy and ironic as this whole situation sounds, it’s where we are, a sign of the times perhaps - an ex hippie traveller has to take an old Etonian PM to court to ensure he abides by the law. pic.twitter.com/fvxR58nsal

— Dale Vince (@DaleVince) September 12, 2019

Mr Vince has teamed up with QC Jo Maugham and SNP MP Joanna Cherry to launch the legal action.

It comes in the same week that the Scottish Court of Session ruled that Boris Johnson's advice to the Queen over the proroguing of parliament was unlawful.

That ruling has been appealed by the government and that case will be heard by the UK Supreme Court next week.

Parliament was prorogued last week by the government, but not before a Bill was passed that will stop Boris Johnson from forcing through a no deal Brexit by the October 31 deadline.

Under the bill, that was voted through by the House of Commons, the prime minister is compelled to write to the EU and extend the deadline unless a deal is agreed by parliament.

The Dale Vince funded action would use a special power called "nobile officium" to sign the letter on the government's behalf, should the prime minister refuse.

And Mr Vince was, this morning, claiming a 1-0 lead in the campaign.

He tweeted: "We've just won the first argument in our case against Boris Johnson, the court has agreed to our request to allow just seven days for the government to respond, given the urgency of the situation - rather than the normal 21 days which the government argued for. 1:0."

He has also tweeted a number of images, one of which is a parody of Boris Johnson's picture with a bull, taken in Scotland last week.

It is alongside that picture that the Forest Green Rovers chairman and Labour party donor said he was a "former hippie traveller taking on an old Etonian PM."