Teenager trapped in Gaza brings legal challenge against UK government – The Guardian

‘A teenager trapped in Gaza and separated from his parents has brought an urgent legal challenge against the UK Home Office and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) after the government refused entry clearance for him to join his family in the UK.’

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The Guardian, 6th February 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Mesh and sodium valproate scandal victims need payouts soon, report says – BBC News

‘Families of children left disabled by an epilepsy drug and women injured by pelvic mesh implants should be given urgent financial help, England’s patient safety commissioner has said.’

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BBC News, 7th February 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘I feel rejected’: Windrush Scandal victim granted judicial review after Home Office refused compensation – The Independent

‘A member of the Windrush generation who was wrongly denied entry to the UK and sent to Jamaica has been granted a judicial review of his case.’

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The Independent, 4th February 2024

Source: www.independent.co.uk

The legality of the new minimum income requirement – EIN Blog

‘The recently announced plan to increase the minimum income requirement (MIR) to £38,700 led to widespread criticism, with the government appearing to exclude all but the affluent from establishing family life in the UK. This has led to a partial policy shift, with it now announced that the threshold to sponsor a spouse will not rise to this amount until 2025, with an interim rise to £29,000 taking place in the Spring. Nonetheless, even this lower amount will be unaffordable to many families, raising questions about the compatibility of the rise with Convention rights. In R (MM) Lebanon v SSHD [2017] UKSC 10 the Supreme Court found that the initial MIR, set at £18,600, was lawful. In this post, I will highlight two key problems with the judgment, along with the failure of the MIR to restrict the social security entitlement of many affected families: the MIR’s primary justification.’

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EIN Blog, 31st January 2024

Source: www.ein.org.uk

Onshore wind policy in England subject to legal challenge – OUT-LAW.com

Posted January 29th, 2024 in climate change, energy, government departments, judicial review, news, planning by sally

‘The UK government’s decision to omit onshore wind projects from the types of energy infrastructure projects that can generally be considered as ‘nationally significant infrastructure projects’ (NSIPs) under planning policy applicable in England is subject to a new legal challenge.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 26th January 2024

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

Home Office transforms the landscape – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted January 29th, 2024 in employment, families, government departments, immigration, news by sally

‘The Home Office has announced significant measures to reduce legal migration to the UK, following the latest statistics showing record net migration figures for 2023. They will likely be implemented during Q2 2024, although the exact timeframe is yet to be finalised. They will significantly increase the costs to employers who wish to sponsor overseas workers and affect British citizens and settled persons in the UK looking to bring family here.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 26th January 2024

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Jeff King: The House of Lords, Constitutional Propriety, and the Safety of Rwanda Bill – UK Constitutional Law Association

‘The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill will receive its second reading in the House of Lords on 29 January 2024, having cleared the House of Commons unamended. There are a great many problems with the Rwanda Bill, any of which might weigh with the Lords, but this blog post focuses on just one: the likelihood that, if enacted, the Bill may well trigger a constitutional crisis between the courts and Parliament. It would be a crisis that is likely to endure beyond the life of the policy embodied in the Bill. I argue here that one of the roles of the House of Lords is to act as a constitutional safeguard, a steam-valve, and, in exercise of this function under the rare circumstances that attend this Bill, it would be legitimate for the Lords to not only make and insist upon far-reaching changes to the Bill, but even to refuse to pass it altogether. This post is not concerned with the realpolitik of whether peers would in fact vote the Bill down – though I come to the point in the conclusion. It rather seeks to refute the constitutional argument that it would be illegitimate to block or make potent amendments to it.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 26th January 2024

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

UK ministers vow to close loopholes in disposable vape ban – The Guardian

Posted January 29th, 2024 in bills, children, government departments, health, news, smoking, young persons by sally

‘UK ministers will aim to stop firms from skirting around an upcoming ban on disposable vapes by eliminating ruses such as attaching charging points to them, the health secretary has said.’

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The Guardian, 29th January 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Indonesian fruit picker landed in debt bondage challenges Home Office – The Guardian

‘When Ismael found himself sleeping rough at York station in the late October cold he struggled to understand how an opportunity to pick berries 7,000 miles from his home had so quickly ended there.’

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The Guardian, 26th January 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Environmental watchdog criticises Government over lack of monitoring and transparency – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) has attacked the Government over a lack of transparency in measures to protect the environment.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 25th January 2024

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Mother of girl whose death was linked to air pollution sues UK government – The Guardian

‘The mother of a nine-year-old girl who became the first person in the UK to have air pollution cited on their death certificate has launched a high court claim against the government.’

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The Guardian, 25th January 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

What is rule 39? UK government tells civil servants to ignore European court of human rights on Rwanda deportations – EIN Blog

‘The UK government is once again navigating legal and political hurdles over its plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda. The latest debate is over the emergency bill that legally declares Rwanda a safe place to send refugees (despite the supreme court ruling the opposite).’

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EIN Blog, 23rd January 2024

Source: www.ein.org.uk

UK government AI report confirms decision on protection of copyright works – OUT-LAW.com

‘The UK government’s response to the House of Lords Culture, Media and Sport Committee’s report on AI and the creative industries confirms its position on striking a balance between encouraging AI innovation and protecting copyright works, an expert has said.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 19th January 2024

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

Robert Craig: The constitutional implications of legislating to exonerate the Post Office sub-postmasters – UK Constitutional Law Association

‘Some commentators have claimed that the decision to expedite the process of formally exonerating the sub-postmasters potentially runs afoul of certain core constitutional principles, in particular the separation of powers. It has also been claimed that the “crown does not have a prerogative of justice but only a prerogative of mercy”. This blog considers and challenges those claims.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 16th January 2024

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

BBC review: Ofcom to gain more powers over BBC News website – BBC News

Posted January 22nd, 2024 in BBC, enforcement, government departments, internet, news, ombudsmen by tracey

‘Ofcom is to gain more powers over BBC online services, including the BBC News website, as part of a series of changes unveiled by the government.’

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BBC News, 22nd January 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Modern slavery in social care surging since visa rules eased – The Guardian

‘Modern slavery is surging in social care since ministers relaxed immigration rules to fill thousands of vacancies, with a growing wave of exploitation leading to workers being ripped off or living in squalor.’

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The Guardian, 21st January 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

UK medics told not to report illegal abortions to police – The Guardian

‘Medical staff in the UK should not report women to the police if they believe their patients may have illegally ended their own pregnancy, a professional body has said. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has said it is never in the public interest to report women who have abortions to law enforcement agencies, according to the BBC.’

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The Guardian, 22nd January 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Cat and dog theft set to be made criminal offence – BBC News

Posted January 19th, 2024 in animals, bills, criminal justice, government departments, news, theft by sally

‘The government is expected to back making stealing cats and dogs a specific criminal offence in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.’

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BBC News, 19th January 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda bill is step towards totalitarianism, top lawyer in the Lords warns – The Independent

‘A leading lawyer who sits in the Lords has warned that Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda bill is “a step toward totalitarianism”.’

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The Independent, 18th January 2024

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Daughter of murdered MP David Amess taking legal action against police and Home Office – The Independent

Posted January 18th, 2024 in government departments, murder, news, personal injuries, police, terrorism by sally

‘The daughter of murdered MP Sir David Amess is suing the police and government for failing to stop his death.’

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The Independent, 17th January 2024

Source: www.independent.co.uk