Madeline Gleeson & Theodore Konstadinides: The UK’s Rwanda policy and Lessons from Australia- UK Constitutional Law Association

‘In November 2023, the Supreme Court of the UK dealt a critical blow to the government’s proposal to send certain asylum seekers to the Republic of Rwanda. In AAA and Others v the Home Secretary, the Court ruled that removal to Rwanda would be unlawful because that country was not, at the time, a ‘safe country’.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 14th March 2024

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

Former Lord Chief cautions against regulation of litigation funding – Legal Futures

Posted March 15th, 2024 in bills, civil justice, Civil Justice Council, news, third parties by sally

‘Regulation may not be answer for the future of the third-party litigation funding market, a former Lord Chief Justice has cautioned ahead of the Civil Justice Council (CJC) review of the sector.’

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Legal Futures, 15th March 2023

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

What is the Post Office Horizon bill and why is it controversial? – The Guardian

‘The Post Office (Horizon system) offences bill, published on Wednesday, will quash the convictions of people resulting from the scandal, which involved hundreds being wrongly prosecuted on the basis of a faulty IT system. Here the Guardian explains the thinking behind the bill and why it is controversial.’

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The Guardian, 13th March 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Civil servants threaten ministers with legal action over Rwanda bill – The Guardian

‘Civil servants have threatened ministers with legal action over concerns that senior Home Office staff could be in breach of international law if they implement the government’s Rwanda deportation bill.’

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The Guardian, 12th March 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Rwanda bill: House of Lords inflicts further defeats on government plan – BBC News

Posted March 7th, 2024 in asylum, bills, deportation, immigration, news, parliament, Rwanda by sally

‘The government has suffered five further defeats in the House of Lords over its Rwanda bill.’

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BBC News, 6th March 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

When Treaties are Forbidden – EIN Blog

‘Safe Third Country (STC) agreements involve the transfer of protection-seekers from one State to another. They take different forms, including bilateral treaties (the UK-Rwanda Treaty), political agreements (the Italy-Albania MoU) and regional mechanisms (Dublin III). They are usually justified as a means of sharing responsibility for protecting refugees and ‘managing’ access to asylum determination processes, as is the case for the Canada-US Safe Third Country Agreement. In other contexts their explicit purpose is to deter and to punish.

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EIN Blog, 29th February 2024

Source: www.ein.org.uk

No-fault evictions: Ministers discuss watering down renter reforms – BBC News

Posted February 28th, 2024 in bills, government departments, housing, landlord & tenant, news, repossession by sally

‘Ministers are consulting backbench Tory MPs on watering down planned protections for renters in England.’

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BBC News, 28 February 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Anti-leasehold bill contains loopholes for developers, say campaigners – The Guardian

Posted February 27th, 2024 in bills, leases, news, sale of land by tracey

‘Michael Gove’s signature bill to stop developers selling new houses as leasehold properties contains loopholes that will allow them to continue doing so in certain circumstances, a revelation that has triggered anger among housing campaigners.’

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The Guardian, 27th February 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

New law to stop thousands of offenders from changing their name in secret – Ministry of Justice

Posted February 26th, 2024 in bills, community service, criminal justice, Ministry of Justice, names, news, probation by tracey

‘Thousands of offenders on community and suspended sentences will no longer be able to secretly change their name as part of tough new rules to protect the public.’

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Ministry of Justice, 23rd February 2024

Source: www.gov.uk

Lawyers question effectiveness of new anti-SLAPPs law – Legal Futures

Posted February 26th, 2024 in bills, costs, defamation, freedom of expression, news by tracey

‘The government last week backed a private member’s bill aimed at extending the new law on SLAPPs beyond economic crime to all types of litigation.’

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Legal Futures, 26th February 2024

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Calls to end the ‘living nightmare’ of indefinite jail terms ahead of crunch Lords debate – The Independent

Posted February 26th, 2024 in bills, criminal justice, human rights, imprisonment, mental health, news, prisons, sentencing by tracey

‘Mental health, human rights and criminal justice experts have made a joint plea for parliament to end the “living nightmare” of indefinite jail terms, following a series of revelations by The Independent. Thousands of prisoners have been left languishing in jail for years longer than their minimum tariff, and with no hope of release, under imprisonment for public protection (IPP) sentences – which were scrapped more than a decade ago amid human rights concerns.’

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The Independent, 26th February 2024

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Ministers to press ahead with legislation to exonerate Post Office Horizon victims – The Guardian

‘Ministers have vowed to press ahead with legislation to automatically overturn convictions related to the Post Office Horizon scandal by the end of July.’

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The Guardian, 22nd February 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

£1.2bn Is Spent Convicting People By Association, Including Innocent Bystanders – Each Other

Posted February 21st, 2024 in bills, budgets, criminal justice, homicide, joint enterprise, news, prosecutions, statistics by sally

‘A recent report by Manchester Metropolitan University, ‘The Mounting Cost of Injustice: Calculating the Economic Cost of Joint Enterprise’, reveals that £1.2bn of taxpayer money is spent annually to convict an average of 1,088 individuals under joint enterprise.’

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Each Other, 19th February 2024

Source: eachother.org.uk

Tougher sentences for ‘rough sex’ killers – Ministry of Justice

‘Cowards who kill their partners with sexual violence will face longer behind bars as the government continues to clamp down on domestic abuse against women.’

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Ministry of Justice, 14th February 2024

Source: www.gov.uk

Consultation on Martyn’s law published but questions remain – OUT-LAW.com

‘The UK government’s consultation on proposed changes to the requirements for standard tier premises under draft anti-terrorism legislation confirms a commitment to proportionality. However, questions remain, including on what businesses must do to protect against acts of terrorism, an expert has said.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 14th February 2024

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

Legal challenge over plans to relax sewage laws for housebuilders in England – The Guardian

‘The government is facing a legal challenge over plans to permit housebuilders in England to allow sewage pollution “through the back door”.’

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The Guardian, 13th February 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Home Office plans new protest offences and anti-Zionism is a protected belief – UK Human Rights Blog

‘The Home Office has announced its intention to create new offences relating to actions taken by attendees at protests. The plans include making it an offence to possess flares or pyrotechnics at a protest, to wear a face covering at a protest, and to climb on war memorials. The changes will be added as amendments to the Criminal Justice Bill. The Home Office has emphasised that the new rules are not a blanket ban on face coverings, and only apply where the protester’s intention is to conceal their identity.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 12th February 2024

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

UK’s Rwanda bill ‘incompatible with human rights obligations’ – The Guardian

‘The UK government’s controversial Rwanda legislation that deems the African country as a safe place to deport people to is fundamentally incompatible with Britain’s human rights obligations and places it in breach of international law, according to a damning parliamentary report.’

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The Guardian, 12th February 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

New protest laws on face coverings and pyrotechnics – Home Office

‘Police will be given powers to arrest protesters who wear face coverings to threaten others and avoid prosecution, and pyrotechnics will be banned at protests.’

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Home Office, 8th February 2024

Source: www.gov.uk

Even many critics of the Rwanda deportation policy are missing the point of why it’s wrong – EIN Blog

‘The UK government’s proposals to send asylum seekers arriving to the UK onto Rwanda continue to spark intense opposition.’

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EIN Blog, 6th February 2024

Source: www.ein.org.uk