£150m legal bill for troops just doing their duty – Daily Telegraph

Posted October 20th, 2015 in armed forces, bills, costs, human rights, judicial review, law firms, news, time limits, treaties, war by sally

‘Ministers draw up plans to pull out of the European Convention on Human Rights next time the Armed Forces are sent into combat.’

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Daily Telegraph, 17th October 2015

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Ad campaign aims to rally support to save Human Rights Act – The Guardian

Posted October 20th, 2015 in advertising, bills, human rights, legislation, news, repeals by sally

‘The battle to save the Human Rights Act takes to the streets this week with crowdfunded billboards focusing on those who have used the legislation to obtain justice.’

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The Guardian, 19th October 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Revised ‘Saatchi bill’ is back but critics still fearful – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted October 19th, 2015 in bills, doctors, negligence, news by sally

‘The new incarnation of the Saatchi bill to allow doctors to innovate without fear of negligence actions has continued its progress through parliament – but the legislation continues to divide opinion among MPs.’
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Law Society’s Gazette, 17th October 2015

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Part 6 of the Immigration Bill – Free Movement

‘The second reading of the Immigration Bill in the House of Commons is today. We have seen how even more appeals will be out of country under its regime, and the greater powers given to immigration officers under Part 3. Part 6 – including Schedules 7 and 8 – offers a mix of provisions, including ensuring the UK complies with international law on blacklisted persons and introduces civil penalties for aircraft and airport managers if they do not ensure people go through control zones. The final section gives a raft of new powers to immigration officers (where have we seen that before?), this time to intercept and detain boats suspected of carrying undocumented migrants, and to arrest anyone suspected of facilitating illegal migration in to the UK.’

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Free Movement, 13th October 2015

Source: www.freemovement.org.uk

New fast-track eviction powers could breach human rights, warns watchdog – The Guardian

‘Government proposals to legally require landlords to check the immigration status of their tenants risk a serious breach of human rights, an official watchdog has warned.’

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The Guardian, 12th October 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Ruvi Ziegler: The ‘Brexit’ Referendum: We Need to Talk about the (General Election) Franchise – UK Constitutional Law Association

Posted October 7th, 2015 in bills, brexit, constitutional law, EC law, elections, news, referendums by sally

‘In its 27 May 2015 Queen’s speech, the Conservative government announced that ‘early legislation will be introduced to provide for an in/out referendum’. The following day, it introduced the European Union Referendum Bill, which passed its third reading in the House of Commons on 7 September 2015 (by 316 votes to 53). The second reading in the House of Lords is scheduled for 13 October 2015. Following the recommendation of the Electoral Commission, the initially proposed question: ‘Should the UK remain a member of the European Union?’ was replaced with an arguably more neutral question: ‘should the UK remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union’.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 7th October 2015

Source: www.ukconstitutionallaw.org

Part 3 of the 2015 Immigration Bill – enforcement – Free Movement

Posted October 1st, 2015 in bills, crime, documents, enforcement, evidence, immigration, news, stop and search by sally

‘Part 3 of the Immigration Bill gives a host of new, wide powers to immigration officers.

A person with leave to enter arrives in at the airport. Schedule 19(1) and (2) – the first section of Part 3 – gives immigration officers the power to curtail leave, rather to simply determine whether leave has been given and act accordingly. So someone arriving in the UK even with the appropriate leave will now have a lingering uncertainty as to whether they will be allowed in. This is likely to affect few migrants, but is indicative of the greater powers given to immigration officers throughout the Bill.’

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Free Movement, 1st October 2015

Source: www.freemovement.org.uk

Deport first, appeal later–the effects explained – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

‘Deport first, appeal later is part of the current strategy to cut net migration. As set out in the Immigration Bill 2015-16, the rule has been extended to all immigration appeals and judicial reviews, including where a so-called family life is involved, apart from asylum claims.’

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Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 30th September 2015

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk

Report: “Serious irreversible harm” test case heard in Court of Appeal

Posted September 28th, 2015 in appeals, asylum, bills, consultations, deportation, human rights, immigration, news, public interest by sally

‘This week, Lord Justices Elias, Richards and McCombe sat in the Court of Appeal and heard the first test cases against Section 94B of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002. Section 94B, introduced by the Immigration Act 2014 and which came into force on 28th July 2014, provides the Home Office the power to certify human rights claims made by people liable to deportation, so they are not entitled to an appeal within the UK. Instead they are expected to bring their appeal from the country in which the Home Office propose deportation. This logic has been catchily titled “deport first, appeal later” and the Conservatives pledged in their manifesto to roll it out for all immigration appeals. Indeed, the Immigration Bill 2015, published last week on 17th September, does just that.’

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Free Movement, 25th September 2015

Source: www.freemovement.org.uk

Doesn’t it make you proud to be English? – Nearly Legal

Posted September 21st, 2015 in bills, housing, immigration, landlord & tenant, news by sally

‘The Immigration Bill 2015 has been published and will have a Second Reading in the House of Commons on October 13, 2015. It contains some truly remarkable provisions about housing. But first, short re-cap to remind you how we got to this stage.’
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Nearly Legal, 19th September 2015

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Tightening the payout rules for business insurance – Law Commission

Posted September 18th, 2015 in bills, damages, delay, insurance, Law Commission, press releases by tracey

‘Businesses can suffer serious loss if insurance companies delay paying claims. But under Law Commission reforms introduced into Parliament today, insurers would be obliged to make prompt payment or face a claim for damages.’

Full press release

Law Commission, 16th September 2015

Source: www.justice.gov.uk/lawcommission

Counter-extremism bill could play into terrorists’ hands, says watchdog – The Guardian

Posted September 18th, 2015 in bills, investigatory powers, news, terrorism by tracey

‘David Cameron’s counter-extremism bill, which will ban non-violent extremists, risks provoking a backlash in Britain’s Muslim communities and playing into the hands of terrorist recruiters, a government watchdog has warned. David Anderson QC, the independent reviewer of terrorism laws, said the legislation to counter extremist ideology also risks legitimising state scrutiny of – and citizens informing on – the political activities of large numbers of law-abiding people.’

Full story

The Guardian, 17th September 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Illegal migrants in UK face jail if caught driving – The Guardian

Posted September 18th, 2015 in bills, forfeiture, immigration, news, road traffic offences by tracey

‘People who drive a car while they are in Britain illegally face being jailed and having their vehicle seized under powers included in the government’s latest immigration bill. Most of the measures in the legislation, published on Thursday, are designed to create “a hostile environment” for migrants who are in Britain unlawfully and have already been strongly trailed by ministers since the general election. The Commons second reading of the bill is scheduled for 13 October, shortly after the Conservative party conference.’

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The Guardian, 17th September 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Assisted Dying Bill: MPs start ‘right to die’ debate – BBC News

Posted September 11th, 2015 in assisted suicide, bills, news by tracey

‘MPs are debating whether some terminally ill adults in England and Wales should be allowed to end their lives with medical supervision.’

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BBC News, 11th September 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

British bill of rights plan to be unveiled ‘this autumn’ – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted September 9th, 2015 in bills, human rights, news by sally

‘The Ministry of Justice today confirmed that it will ‘bring forward’ proposals for a British bill of rights, to replace the Human Rights Act, this autumn.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 8th September 2015

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Striking workers may have to identify themselves to police, carry a letter of authorisation and wear an armband under proposed reforms – The Independent

‘Every worker wanting to join a strike picket could be forced to identify themselves to police, carry a letter of authorisation and wear an armband, under proposed reforms to trade union laws that could be in breach of international agreements, human rights groups have warned.’

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The Independent, 6th September 2015

Source: www.independent.co.uk

UK government pledges tougher action against businesses that repeatedly employ illegal workers – OUT-LAW.com

Posted August 28th, 2015 in bills, employment, immigration, news by sally

‘Businesses that continually employ workers who are in the UK illegally could be closed for up to 48 hours while border officials investigate under new measures put forward by the government.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 27th August 2015

Source: www.out-law.com

Is the Government’s recent Trade Union bill compliant with the European Convention on Human Rights? – Cloisters

Posted August 27th, 2015 in bills, consultations, human rights, news, trade unions by sally

‘In what has been billed as the biggest crackdown on trade union rights for 30 years, the Conservative government have published a draft Trade Union Bill along with three separate consultation documents on ballot thresholds in important public services, hiring agency staff during industrial action and tackling intimidation of non-striking workers.’

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Cloisters, 4th August 2015

Source: www.cloisters.com

Emily Thornberry MP – Human rights conventions: when some are more equal than others? – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted August 24th, 2015 in appeals, benefits, bills, children, human rights, news, Supreme Court by sally

‘When a legal challenge to one of the coalition Government’s flagship welfare reforms – an overall cap of £26,000 per year on the amount any family could receive in benefits – was reviewed by the Supreme Court earlier this year, the resulting judgment left many observers scratching their heads. Had the Court declared the cap unlawful or not? The answer seemed to be a mixture of yes and no.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 24th August 2015

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Leaving the EU—impact on case law and legislation – Halsbury’s Law Exchange

Posted August 14th, 2015 in bills, EC law, news, referendums, treaties by tracey

‘If the UK votes to leave the EU what will be the impact on case law and legislation? Tim Eicke QC, a leading public and EU law advocate, looks at some of the issues that might arise domestically and internationally with a decision to leave the Union.’

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Halsbury’s Law Exchange, 13th August 2015

Source: www.halsburyslawexchange.co.uk