I have read a few comments on Cross of St George and Campaign for an English Parliament concerning the current legal status of the English Parliament. It has been suggested that the English Parliament, along with the Scottish parliament, was merely put into abeyance by the Act of Union and not abolished. Obviously, this is of interest to me as a supporter of English devolution so I decded to do my own research.
I am sorry to say that it took less than an hour to come to the conclusion that the English parliament was not merely but into abeyance by the Act of Union 1707 but was abolished. Article 3of the act of Union says:
That the United Kingdom of Great Britain be represented by one and the same Parliament, to be styled the Parliament of Great Britain
It's pretty clear from this single line that the only Parliament to represent the UK is the Parliament of Great Britain. The Act of Union also states that England and Scotland are united as the United Kingdom so there isn't even the argument that it doesn't refer specifially to England or the English Parliament.
As much as it disappoints me, my conclusion is that the English Parliament ceased to exist in 1707 and an attempt to reconvene it without an Act of Parliament authorising it would be illegal. The only defence would be that the Act of Union has been contravened by the British Government on numerous occassions without being enforced and to enforce it in this respect would be unfair. The judge, I think, would have to declare that the Act is no longer relevant which would effectively dissolve the Union.