Child sex abuse: Failure to report crimes to be made illegal – BBC News

‘People who work with children in England will be legally required to report child sexual abuse or face prosecution under government plans.’

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BBC News, 3rd April 2023

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Thousands of homeless people arrested under archaic Vagrancy Act – The Guardian

‘More than 1,000 homeless people have been arrested for sleeping rough or begging since the government pledged to scrap the nearly 200-year-old Vagrancy Act, new figures show.’

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The Guardian, 2nd April 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Tarun Khaitan: A Fourth Branch of the State? On Constitutional Guarantors in the UK – UK Constitutional Law Association

‘In its Report setting the agenda for a likely Labour government after the next elections, the Brown Commission has set out an ambitious programme of constitutional reform. In a previous post, I examined its recommendation in relation to a fully elected second chamber to replace the House of Lords. In this post, I will examine its recommendations concerning bodies that comparative constitutional scholarship calls ‘fourth branch’ or guarantor institutions. The Report recommends the setting up of three new independent constitutional guarantors: an Integrity & Ethics Commission to enforce the code of ministerial conduct, an Appointments Commission for merit-only appointments to public bodies, and an Anti-Corruption Commissioner. It also recommends further empowerment of the Equality and Human Rights Commission to provide evidence on the implementation of the new proposed social rights, ‘with a remit, membership and staffing substantially altered to give it capacity to do so.’ It seeks to offer a new constitutional mandate to the UK Infrastructure Bank and rename it as the British Regional Business Investment Bank.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 30th March 2023

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

The Illegal Migration Bill and the Ireland/Northern Ireland Protocol: The return of the Charter of Fundamental Rights – UK Human Rights Blog

‘This is not a post about the conflict between the provisions of the Illegal Migration Bill and the European Convention on Human Rights (an issue which has already attracted a considerable amount of critical academic commentary – see here and here). Instead, it is a post about the Bill’s potential conflict with the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights (“CFR”) and the UK’s commitments under the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement, whether (and why) such a conflict matters in domestic law and how (if at all) that conflict could be resolved.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 31st March 2023

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Home Office accused of building delays into plan to speed asylum claims – The Guardian

Posted March 31st, 2023 in asylum, delay, government departments, immigration, news, refugees by sally

‘Immigration lawyers have accused the Home Office of building delays into a scheme meant to speed up decisions on 12,000 asylum claims.’

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The Guardian, 30th March 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Isobel Renzulli: Begum v SSHD (2023): A restrictive approach to Article 4 ECHR – UK Constitutional Law Association

‘On 22 February 2023, the judgment of the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (‘SIAC’ or ‘the Commission’) was published, upholding the Home Secretary’s decision to deprive Shamima Begum of her British citizenship under section 40(2) of the British Nationality Act 1981 (‘‘the BNA 1981’’) on the ground that it would be conducive to the public good to do so, because her return to the United Kingdom would present a national security risk.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 29th March 2023

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

Afghan refugees lose High Court challenge over Home Office offer of bridging accommodation in Manchester – Local Government Lawyer

‘Afghan refugees who were resettled in London have lost a High Court bid to try to prevent them being sent to Manchester by the Home Office.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 27th March 2023

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

UK to abolish law requiring press to pay legal costs when sued – The Guardian

Posted March 29th, 2023 in bills, costs, government departments, inquiries, media, news by sally

‘Ministers will push ahead with plans to abolish a key piece of press regulation law, unpicking one of the main recommendations of the Leveson inquiry into the culture of the British newspaper industry.’

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The Guardian, 28th March 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘Legal limbo’: Human rights chief steps into small boats bill row – Law Society’s Gazette

‘Proposed legislation aimed at stopping cross-channel migration in small boats would be incompatible with the UK’s international obligations, the leading human rights figure at the 46-member Council of Europe said today. Dunja Mijatović, Council of Europe commissioner for human rights, warned that the provisions of the Illegal Migration Bill ‘create clear and direct tension with well-established and fundamental human rights standards’.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 27th March 2023

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Ministers can veto prisoners’ parole in Victims and Prisoners Bill – BBC News

‘Ministers will be able to block the release of some prisoners and stop others getting married under new plans to overhaul the parole system.’

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BBC News, 29th March 2023

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Action plan to crack down on anti-social behaviour – Home Office

‘Perpetrators of anti-social behaviour will face swift and visible justice, with nitrous oxide banned and police given more powers to test for drugs on arrest.’

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Home Office, 26th March 2023

Source: www.gov.uk

Council takes legal action to stop asylum seekers being sent to Essex airfield – The Guardian

‘An Essex council is seeking an urgent injunction against the Home Office to try to prevent plans to house asylum seekers on an airfield close to a small village.’

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The Guardian, 26th March 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

UNHCR: Illegal Migration Bill ‘extinguishes’ most refugees’ right to seek asylum – The Independent

‘The United Nations refugee agency’s representative to the UK has warned that the Government’s Illegal Migration Bill “effectively extinguishes the right to seek asylum in the UK for all but a very few refugees”.’

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The Independent, 26th March 2023

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Home Office delays Windrush grants amid row over social media posts – The Guardian

Posted March 22nd, 2023 in citizenship, colonies, delay, government departments, immigration, internet, news by sally

‘The Home Office has decided not to award £150,000-worth of grants to Windrush community organisations, amid internal disagreement about whether funds should be given to groups that have expressed criticism of the government on social media.’

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The Guardian, 21st March 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

British man deported to Jamaica launches action against Home Office – The Guardian

‘A British man convicted of murder is launching a legal action against the Home Office after he was wrongly deported to Jamaica.’

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The Guardian, 19th March 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Social workers should not assess asylum seeker ages for Home Office, professional body says – The Guardian

‘The professional body for social workers has urged its members not to work with the Home Office to assess the ages of asylum seekers, saying that political pressures could undermine their professional judgment.
The Home Office is recruiting social workers to join the National Age Assessment Board (NAAB), which was set up under the Nationality and Borders Act to take responsibility for determining the age of asylum seekers away from local authorities.’

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The Guardian, 15th March 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Sunak’s Windsor Compromise – City Law Forum

Posted March 15th, 2023 in brexit, EC law, government departments, news, Northern Ireland by sally

‘The Windsor Framework (WF) concluded between the UK and EU to resolve the difficulties associated with the Irish Border reflects a significant compromise, with the UK giving the most ground. The brainchild of a more pliant and technocratic Prime Minister than his two predecessors, Rishi Sunak’s WF is in many respects an agreement that should never have been needed. The new arrangement essentially compels the EU to do what it should have done under the original Northern Ireland Protocol, i.e. impose no unreasonable barriers to trade between Great Britain (GB) and Northern Ireland (NI) while maintaining sufficient safeguards that its Single Market would not be flooded with UK goods.’

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City Law Forum, 10th March 2023

Source: blogs.city.ac.uk

Experts Call on UK Government to End Worker Exploitation in the Care Industry – EIN Blog

‘The global economic crisis has pushed many vulnerable people around the world into seeking employment opportunities abroad. Unfortunately, many of these individuals are subjected to modern slavery practices. The UK is no exception as reports of exploitation of migrant care workers by employers and recruiters have emerged in recent years. According to a report from the Centre for Social Justice, an estimated 13,000 people have been subjected to modern slavery in the UK.’

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EIN Blog, 13th March 2023

Source: www.ein.org.uk

Migration bill ‘would rock the UK’s standing as a reliable nation’ – Law Society’s Gazette

‘Law Society speaks out as measure aimed at tackling small-boat crossings goes before House of Commons.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 13th March 2023

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Jeremy Letwin: The Bill of Rights Bill and the Modern Mirror Principle – UK Constitutional Law Association

Posted March 15th, 2023 in bills, brexit, constitutional law, government departments, human rights, news by sally

‘The Bill of Rights Bill which is currently before Parliament aims, at least in some respects, to weaken the link between domestic courts and the ECtHR. Many predicted the Bill might seek to do this, and it has provoked considerable controversy. Though clauses 3(1) and 3(2) of the Bill are not without their critics, the controversy has mainly focused on clause 3(3)(b), which provides that the domestic courts “may adopt an interpretation of the right that diverges from Strasbourg jurisprudence”, and on clause 3(3)(a), which provides that domestic courts “may not adopt an interpretation of the right that expands the protection conferred by the right unless the court has no reasonable doubt that the European Court of Human Rights would adopt that interpretation if the case were before it”.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 14th March 2023

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org