‘The Home Office has refused to disclose the legal basis on which it plans to use “pushbacks” in the English Channel to turn small boats around.’
The Independent, 22nd September 2021
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘A new bill could prevent millions of people from being able to vote, according to a report published by the Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR).’
Each Other, 21st September 2021
Source: eachother.org.uk
‘“Radical” change is needed to stop an epidemic of violence against women and girls in Britain, a watchdog has found.
An inspection sparked by the killing of Sarah Everard, who was kidnapped, raped and murdered by a serving police officer, said police must prioritise protecting women as highly as counter-terrorism.’
The Independent, 17th September 2021
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘By its Nationality and Borders Bill, through new maritime enforcement powers, the Home Office seeks to extend its activity, beyond the United Kingdom territory, beyond UK territorial waters, and into international waters and into foreign waters. In so doing it seeks powers to stop, board, divert, and detain foreign ships and ships without nationality.’
EIN Blog, 15th September 2021
Source: www.ein.org.uk
‘The UN’s refugee chief in London has said the introduction of the new nationality and borders bill could criminalise Afghan people who manage to escape the Taliban.’
The Guardian, 14th September 2021
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The British Medical Association (BMA) has dropped its opposition to assisted dying and adopted a neutral stance on the issue.’
The Guardian, 14th September 2021
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Discrimination against black people and Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities in a controversial suite of new laws is “objectively justified”, the government has claimed.’
The Independent, 13th September 2021
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘This post is the second part of two posts on the draft Online Safety Bill. In my first post, here, I detailed the mechanics of the proposed bill in detail. This post will summarise some of the civil society responses since the publication of the draft bill, attempting an evaluation of how reasonable those responses are in light of the available information.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 11th September 2021
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
‘The government is poised to abandon key elements of its “radical and necessary” overhaul of England’s planning laws – which ministers argued would “help us build the homes our country desperately needs” – following a backlash from Tory MPs and voters in the south, according to a report.’
The Independent, 11th September 2021
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘A new policing bill that will be debated this week risks deepening racial and gender disparities in the justice system while forcing professionals to betray the trust of vulnerable people, hundreds of experts and a report have warned.’
The Guardian, 13th September 2021
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘In 2009, Vernon Bogdanor wrote about The New British Constitution. His thesis was that a decade of New Labour reforms had produced a shift in the nature of the constitution, from one based on parliamentary sovereignty, to one based on the “sovereignty of the constitution”. Since 2009, further constitutional reforms have been implemented by governments of various political stripes, apparently consolidating the legalisation of the constitution, and the dispersal of power from the institutions of central government to Parliament, the devolved institutions, and the courts. The New British Constitution appeared to be firmly established. Recent events, however, demonstrate the shaky foundations of this new constitutionalism, with a growing trend towards a weakening of both legal and political checks on Governmental power. This blog post draws attention to this worrying trend, focusing on three key examples. It is based on the findings of the first report of the Constitutional Monitoring Group (of which the authors are both members), established to provide a biannual barometer of the state of constitutional principles in the UK. The report raises concerns not just about the potential consequences of this trend, but of the piecemeal and rapid manner in which it is occurring, with some important constitutional changes appearing to happen under the radar.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 8th September 2021
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org
‘The elections bill, which will be debated in the Commons for the first time on Tuesday, is, according to the government, an ambitious and timely set of plans to ensure elections remain fair and secure. To critics, it is undemocratic and intended to rig elections in favour of the Conservatives. So what does the bill set out?’
The Guardian, 7th September 2021
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The Runnymede Trust is a charitable think-tank focused on race equality and race relations in the UK. The Charity Commission opened a compliance case in April 2021 after complaints about the Trust’s response to the report by the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities (“the CRED report”) and the trustees’ decision to work with the Good Law Project to challenge certain public appointments. The Commission also noted the appearance of a senior executive of Runnymede at an event organised by a political party, alongside several elected representatives and affiliated speakers. The issue, in short, was whether the Trust was engaging in party-political activity, contrary to charity law – and the Commission has concluded that the Trust has not broken the law. So far, not much obviously to do with “religion” – but read on.’
Law & Religion UK, 4th September 2021
Source: lawandreligionuk.com
‘Extinction Rebellion has demanded to know how its upcoming demonstrations will be policed after the Supreme Court ruled that protest can be a “lawful excuse” to block roads under human rights law.’
The Independent, 22nd August 2021
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘In July 2020, the UN Human Rights Committee adopted General Comment No. 37 on the right to peaceful assembly, directing States to recognise the “intrinsic value” of the right, and to “promote an enabling environment for the exercise of the right to peaceful assembly without discrimination”. The Human Rights Committee also reaffirmed that, even in states of emergencies, states’ obligations to ensure non-discrimination remain: emergency measures must not discriminate either in their purpose or their effects.’
Oxford Human Rights Hub, 19th August 2021
Source: ohrh.law.ox.ac.uk
‘The government’s decision to ban so-called virginity tests is a “false victory” as it does not prohibit hymenoplasty surgery, experts have warned.’
The Independent, 15th August 2021
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘Since the end of the Brexit transition period on 31 December 2020, the EU’s Common European Asylum System (CEAS) no longer applies to the UK. The government has now introduced its Nationality and Borders Bill to reform the UK’s asylum system.’
EIN Blog, 12th August 2021
Source: www.ein.org.uk
‘The UK government has introduced its Judicial Review and Courts Bill in Parliament. In doing so, it has stepped back from radical reforms restricting judicial review, and instead focused on a more subtle reform of remedies, expected to come into force in England and Wales in 2022.’
OUT-LAW.com, 10th August 2021
Source: www.pinsentmasons.com
‘An Iranian asylum seeker cleared of people smuggling has said he was made a “scapegoat” by British authorities. Fouad Kakaei, who steered a dinghy across the English Channel, was found not guilty at a second trial after appealing against his first conviction.’
BBC News, 11th August 2021
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Tucked away in the government’s 300-page police, crime, sentencing and courts bill, are various clauses which will have serious implications for the right to protest. The bill seeks to quietly criminalise “serious annoyance”, increase police powers to restrict protests, and give the home secretary discretion over what types of protests are allowed.’
The Guardian, 9th August 2021
Source: www.theguardian.com
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