Met police won’t investigate alleged No 10 lockdown party – The Guardian

‘The Metropolitan police will not investigate alleged parties held at Downing Street in apparent breach of lockdown rules unless an upcoming inquiry finds evidence of criminality.’

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The Guardian, 13th January 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

Home Office tells Afghan and Yemeni asylum seekers they can return safely – The Guardian

Posted January 13th, 2022 in Afghanistan, asylum, government departments, news by tracey

‘The Home Office has told asylum seekers from some of the world’s biggest conflict zones that it is safe for them to return there, the Guardian has learned.’

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The Guardian, 13th January 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

Payout offers over Post Office IT scandal sent to less than third of applicants – The Guardian

‘Less than a third of Post Office workers who applied for compensation under a government scheme in the wake of the Horizon IT scandal have received a payout offer, almost 17 months after it closed, MPs have been told.’

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The Guardian, 11th January 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

UK government sued over ‘pie-in-the-sky’ net-zero climate strategy – The Guardian

‘The UK government is being sued over its net zero climate strategy, which lawyers argue illegally fails to include the policies needed to deliver the promised cuts in emissions.’

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The Guardian, 12th January 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

Nationality and Borders Bill: many of the proposals will negatively affect children, not just those concerning them directly – EIN Blog

‘Hadia (22), Mubin (16), and Hasti (7) along with their mother Khazal were among the 27 people who died in the Channel in November 2021, trying to reach the UK. Other children and young people like them have attempted the dangerous crossing or have made it across the Channel, though we don’t know how many. While not the majority, children do make up a significant proportion of the asylum-seeking population. Between 2010 and 2020, 86,533 children claimed asylum in the UK, while children made up almost a quarter (23%) of UK asylum applicants and dependents during that time. Most (62,321) claimed asylum with their families, making up 17% of asylum seekers overall. The remaining 6% claimed asylum on their own as unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.’

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EIN Blog, 7th January 2022

Source: www.ein.org.uk

Home Office tells asylum seeker he can return to Syria safely – The Guardian

Posted January 10th, 2022 in asylum, deportation, government departments, human rights, immigration, news, refugees by tracey

‘The Home Office has told a Syrian asylum seeker he can return to the country he fled during the war because it is safe to do so, in what is thought to be the first case of its kind.’

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The Guardian, 9th January 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

Venues must have anti-terror measures under government plans – BBC News

Posted January 10th, 2022 in consultations, government departments, news, statutory duty, terrorism by tracey

‘Venues would have a legal duty to put in place security measures to protect the public from terror attacks under government plans. It comes in the wake of the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing, when 22 people were killed as they left an Ariana Grande concert. Home Secretary Priti Patel will set out the proposals on Monday, following an 18-week consultation.’

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BBC News, 9th January 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Domestic abuse victims in England and Wales to be given more time to report assaults – Ministry of Justice

‘Under the changes, victims of domestic abuse will be allowed more time to report incidents of common assault or battery against them. Currently, prosecutions must commence within six months of the offence.’

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Ministry of Justice, 4th January 2022

Source: www.gov.uk

Home Office to introduce scientific methods for assessing the age of asylum seekers – Home Office

Posted January 7th, 2022 in asylum, children, government departments, immigration, news by tracey

‘The Home Secretary has announced that the Home Office is establishing a new Scientific Advisory Committee to provide advice on ways of checking how old an asylum seeker is.’

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Home Office, 5th January 2022

Source: www.gov.uk

New scheme aims to resettle 20,000 Afghans in UK – BBC News

Posted January 7th, 2022 in Afghanistan, asylum, government departments, immigration, news, refugees by tracey

‘The government has launched a new scheme to help 20,000 Afghans fleeing their country to resettle in the UK.’

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BBC News, 6th January 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

UK faces legal action for approving firm accused of using forced labour as PPE supplier – The Guardian

‘The UK government is facing legal action over its decision to keep using a Malaysian company accused of using forced labour as a supplier of personal protective equipment (PPE) to the NHS.’

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The Guardian, 6th January 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

Nationality and Borders Bill: Why is it causing protests? – BBC news

‘Terrorists, war criminals, spies – that’s who the government says it’s targeting as part of a shake-up of immigration law. Under the Nationality and Borders Bill being debated in the House of Lords, if the British government wants to remove someone’s citizenship it will no longer need to tell them.’

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BBC News, 7th January 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Hillsborough Law would ‘level scales of justice’, says mayor – BBC News

‘A Hillsborough Law is needed to ensure fairer treatment for bereaved families, Liverpool City Region’s mayor has said.
Steve Rotheram and Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said the government needs to “level the scales of justice”.
They are calling for measures recommended in a 2017 report, based on the experiences of Hillsborough families, to be enshrined in law.’

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BBC News, 7th January 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

What’s on the horizon for UK immigration in 2022? – EIN Blog

Posted January 5th, 2022 in government departments, immigration, news, visas by sally

‘2021 wasn’t a year of great upheaval in the Immigration Rules. Major changes such as the overhaul of the Skilled Worker sponsorship system took effect just at the end of 2020, as did the Frontier Worker Permit scheme for EU nationals remaining in employment (but not residence) in the UK. That is not to say that 2021 was quiet; the Graduate route was introduced in the summer, Global Talent has continued to be tweaked and expanded, and the deadline for EU Settlement Scheme applications has come and gone during the year.’

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EIN Blog, 4th January 2022

Source: www.ein.org.uk

Tougher sentences announced in crackdown on illegal hare coursing – The Independent

‘People who take part in hare coursing, an illegal bloodsport, face tougher sentences under plans set out by the government on Tuesday.’

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The Independent, 4th January 2022

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Home Office hit with high court claim over refusal to treat HIV patient in detention centre – The Independent

‘The Home Office will undergo a high court battle over a HIV patient who was denied life-saving treatment while being held in an immigration detention centre for over two weeks, The Independent can reveal.’

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The Independent, 1st January 2022

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Information Commissioner’s Office challenged over Whitehall JR submissions – Law Society’s Gazette

‘Public law specialists have begun legal proceedings against the Information Commissioner’s Office over publication of Whitehall submissions on judicial review that have influenced controversial reforms.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 20th December 2021

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Modern slavery victims may face barriers to justice under Priti Patel’s immigration bill, MPs warn – The Independent

‘Modern slavery victims may face barriers to seeking justice while criminal gangs “evade punishment” under Priti Patel’s immigration bill, cross-party MPs have warned.’

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The Independent, 21st December 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Culture Wars and Constitutional Statutes: The Government’s Proposed Human Rights Act Reforms – Oxford Human Rights Hub

‘This week, in response to the Independent Human Rights Act Review’s report, the Government published its proposals to reform the Human Rights Act (HRA) and a call for further submissions on its proposals. A comprehensive analysis of all of the Government’s proposals would not be possible in this short two-part post; that stated, whether they deserve such an in-depth response is questionable.’

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Oxford Human Rights Hub, 19th December 2021

Source: ohrh.law.ox.ac.uk

Trafficking victims entitled to back payments after court ruling – The Guardian

‘Thousands of trafficking victims who had government support payments removed in the midst of the pandemic are entitled to back payments that could run into millions of pounds, following a high court ruling that found the policy to be unlawful.’

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The Guardian, 17th December 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com