Northern Ireland’s Attorney General John Larkin QC is too late to refer the Ashers discrimination case to the UK Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal has ruled.

Mr Larkin intended to ask the Supreme Court to rule on four identified issues of devolution, but the Court of Appeal in Belfast ruled yesterday that his bid had come too late.

The Lord Chief Justice, Sir Declan Morgan, delivering the judgment, said: “We do not consider there are exceptional circumstances in this case which require us to re-open proceedings.”

Lawyers for Ashers Bakery Company last week failed in their own bid for leave to appeal the judgment in the Supreme Court.

However, the McArthur family - who own the bakery - can now petition directly for a hearing in London and have said they will do so.