Author: sally

‘The House of Lords Constitution Committee’s new report on the rule of law provides an excellent overview of the concept and of the many challenges it finds itself under in the UK today. But the report’s focus on successive governments’ acts of constitutional negligence and recklessness that present challenges for the rule of law obscures a deeper, more existential question: namely, whether the UK constitution could withstand the sort of systemic constitutional vandalism that other democracies are experiencing today at the hands of populist and authoritarian regimes.’

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Public Law for Everyone, 20th November 2025

Source: publiclawforeveryone.com

In Smith & Anor v Manchester City Council [2025] EWHC 2987 (KB) the claimants, a married couple with strong evangelical Christian beliefs, wanted to foster children; however, their application did not progress beyond the first stage of the Council’s suitability assessment. One reason was that the social workers examining it concluded that they would find it “quite difficult to be proactive in promoting a diverse view of the world” [1]. They were particularly concerned about the claimants’ belief that homosexuality and abortion were wrong and their gender-critical views, and the possibility that they might express such views to any children entrusted to their care [2]. The couple took proceedings in the Manchester County Court claiming remedies under the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Equality Act 2010, but were unsuccessful [3 & 4], and appealed.

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Law & Religion UK, 21st November 2025

Source: lawandreligionuk.com

‘Belfast- based libel lawyer Paul Tweed is reportedly preparing a group action in the UK against technology providers (including OpenAI, Meta, Google, and Amazon) alleging that their AI chatbots and other AI-generated content breach defamation and privacy laws. The 2013 Defamation Act provides for certain protection for internet intermediaries —specifically the statutory defences found in Section 5. Under this section operators of websites hosting user-generated content may enjoy immunity from suit when they comply with regulations after being notified of defamatory material. Social media platforms or hosts are generally not liable under UK law unless they have knowledge, control, or refuse to act upon notice of defamatory content. Claims must typically be directed at the original author, and intermediary platform liability arises mainly if the author is unidentifiable or unreachable.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 19th November 2025

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

‘The legal sector of the future “may look very different to the one we know today”, with further regulatory reform needed to take advantage of the lawtech revolution, a report for the Ministry of Justice has said.’

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Legal Futures, 21st November 2025

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

‘The former police officer and convicted sex offender David Carrick has been handed a 37th life sentence at the Old Bailey with a minimum of 30 years for molesting a 12-year-old girl and raping a former partner.’

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The Guardian, 20th November 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘A personal trainer has revealed women’s activewear brand Sweaty Betty offered her a settlement of £4,000 over a disputed slogan if she agreed not to further challenge the firm’s use of it, and agreed to keep the deal confidential.’

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BBC News, 21st November 2025

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘The chief constable of Northamptonshire police has been fined £50,000 for contempt of court, with his force condemned by three senior judges.’

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The Guardian, 20th November 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘The central issue in this case relates to the claimant’s application for Bereavement Support Payments (BSP) following the death of his wife. Under the terms of the Pensions Act 2014, BSP will only be paid to a surviving partner if a so-called “contribution condition” is met. This means, in effect, that the deceased partner needs to have contributed to National Insurance payments for at least one tax year during their working life. The claimant’s wife did not meet this condition – she was severely disabled and could not work during the relevant period. The claimant therefore did not qualify for BSP.’

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Administrative Court Blog, 20th November 2025

Source: administrativecourtblog.wordpress.com

‘A party may, pursuant to section 69 of the Arbitration Act 1996, appeal an arbitral award to the court on a question of law arising from the award. The appeal can only be made with the court’s permission unless the parties have agreed otherwise.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 17th November 2025

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

‘Proposals for radical reform of the UK’s asylum system raise a number of legal and constitutional issues, with respect both to the European Convention on Human Rights and the domestic principle of the rule of law. A showdown with the courts, at either the domestic or European level, seems likely — but if the aim is to play the populist right at its own game, perhaps that is all part of the government’s cunning plan.’

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Public Law for Everyone, 17th November 2025

Source: publiclawforeveryone.com

‘A woman killed herself after a south London psychiatric unit failed to search her possessions adequately, a coroner has concluded.’

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The Guardian, 17th November 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has defended sweeping changes to the UK’s asylum system, telling MPs the current situation is “out of control and unfair”.’

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BBC News, 17th November 2025

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘An employment judge has condemned “unconscionable opportunism” by a Cornish law firm in seeking to “capitalise” on a procedural error by a disabled receptionist who claimed constructive dismissal.’

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Legal Futures, 18th November 2025

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

‘The UK’s prison system is in a state of crisis, jeopardising efforts to rehabilitate offenders and curb crime rates, a committee of MPs has warned.’

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The Independent, 14th November 2025

Source: www.independent.co.uk

‘A London judge has ruled that the global mining company BHP Group is liable in Brazil’s worst environmental disaster, when a dam collapse 10 years ago unleashed tons of toxic waste into a major river, killing 19 people and devastating villages downstream.’

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The Guardian, 14th November 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘A man who fatally stabbed a young Porsche driver in a scene compared to the “Wild West” has been sent to prison for life.’

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The Independent, 13th November 2025

Source: www.independent.co.uk

‘No-fault evictions will be outlawed in England from 1 May, the government confirmed, as it set out the timeline for sweeping renters’ reforms.’

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BBC News, 13th November 2025

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘Babies and toddlers have been referred to the government’s anti-terror scheme Prevent on hundreds of occasions since 2016, with infants under the age of one referred 45 times.’

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The Independent, 13th November 2025

Source: www.independent.co.uk

‘The Supreme Court has, this week, been hearing argument in a case brought by the Attorney General for Northern Ireland (“the Attorney General”) who seeks to amend the (Northern Ireland) Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards Code of Practice to reflect that an adult may give valid consent to living arrangements, even if they lack capacity within the meaning of Mental Capacity (Northern Ireland) Act 2016, such that there would be no deprivation of liberty within the meaning of Article 5 ECHR.’

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Spire Barristers, 24th October 2025

Source: spirebarristers.co.uk

‘The recently circulated judgment Re Tolleshunt Knights Cemetery [2025] ECC Chd 2 highlighted three aspects of burial law in the Church of England: the decreasing availability of burial plots; the complexity of the legislation of certain sites; and the importance placed on family graves.’

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Law & Religion UK, 13th November 2025

Source: lawandreligionuk.com