‘The UK is “unique in its light-touch approach” in not requiring private employers to produce a plan to tackle gender pay gaps, a report has found.’
The Guardian, 14th October 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The new president of the Law Society on why it’s crucial to defend the rule of law in these febrile times.’
The Guardian, 14th October 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Britain’s top lawyers have written to Priti Patel to express their concern after a knifeman threatened to kill an immigration solicitor last month in an attack colleagues say was directly motivated by comments made by the home secretary.’
The Guardian, 10th October 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The rights of those living abroad to submit freedom of information requests are to be tested in court after more than a dozen cases – including one relating to Julian Assange’s extradition – were blocked. A combined hearing involving the Home Office, Metropolitan police, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and 13 separate cases is to be held at an information tribunal in London.’
The Guardian, 6th October 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘A former Supreme Court judge has accused Boris Johnson of trying to undermine the courts and legal system in a bid to solidify government power and push through his programme. Lord Sumption, who retired from the court in 2018, told at parliamentary select committee that the government was intent on “doing down the courts as potential sources of impediments for the government’s programme”.’
The Independent, 6th October 2020
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘The family of a disabled woman who died trapped in Grenfell Tower is taking legal action against the government to force high-rise owners to make evacuation plans for every disabled resident. Sakina Afrasehabi, who had severe arthritis and walked with a frame, died on the 18th floor in the June 2017 blaze at the age of 65. Now her family want a judicial review of government proposals, arising from the disaster, that personal evacuation plans should only apply for people in buildings considered at immediate fire risk.’
The Guardian, 5th October 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The human rights of older people have been violated in England’s care homes because of a series of “shockingly irresponsible” government decisions in response to the coronavirus pandemic, a report has found.’
The Independent, 4th October 2020
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘MPs have called on the government to legalise e-scooters in the UK and advertise them to car drivers as a greener alternative for short journeys.’
The Guardian, 2nd October 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘In recent months there have been growing media reports of anti-lockdown protests, supported by conspiracy theorists, in which demonstrators have made bizarre and outlandish claims. The conspiracies – unsupported by scientific evidence – are often couched in terms of “civil liberties” and “freedoms”.’
Each Other, 25th September 2020
Source: eachother.org.uk
‘The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020 (“the Regulations”) contained the most draconian restrictions on the liberty of the general population ever imposed in England. They purported to create several new criminal offences (see reg. 9), including an offence of contravening a regulation that “… no person may leave the place where they are living without reasonable excuse” (see reg. 6) and an offence of contravening, without reasonable excuse, a regulation that (subject to limited exceptions) “no person may participate in a gathering in a public place of more than two people” (see reg. 7).’
UK Human Rights Blog, 24th September 2020
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
‘Police officers detained and interviewed hundreds of thousands of vulnerable suspects last year in England and Wales in breach of mandatory safeguards, according to the body that sets standards for those who support vulnerable adults in police custody.’
The Guardian, 28th September 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Huge controversy has already been generated over provisions in the United Kingdom Internal Market Bill granting Ministers the power to disapply the Withdrawal Agreement. Most of the debate (Elliott, Armstrong) has been focused on the potential breaches of international law. This could severely damage the reputation of the United Kingdom in the world. However, what has been relatively overlooked is that this Bill is also a flagrant attack on the Rule of Law at the UK domestic level. This remains the case even if amendments proposed by Sir Bob Neill MP (and apparently accepted by the Government) pass.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 23rd September 2020
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org
‘One in 10 football fixtures in the 2019-20 season had an incident of hate crime in England and Wales, data gathered by the police, the FA and anti-discrimination campaigners has revealed.’
The Guardian, 24th September 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Ministers have ruled out changes to make it easier for transgender people in England and Wales to have their gender legally recognised.’
BBC News, 22nd September 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘The coronavirus pandemic created an impetus for the legal world to finally begin accepting digitalisation of processes, moving away from the traditional paper process to an online version. The immigration process is already faced with a myriad of concerns which leaves the applicant in a weak position, and most often, with a lack of funds to cover their costs. The Home Office’s inability to train and effectively manage applications, outsource services to dubious third-party contractors has been exacerbated further by the haphazard application of online processes which do not match the needs of the immigration process. Despite the fact that online applications are easier to complete for legal representatives a number of issues have arisen as a result of this sudden change.’
EIN Blog, 21st September 2020
Source: www.ein.org.uk
‘During a pandemic, it seems like a good idea for politicians to “follow the science.” But what does this actually mean? The claim that the Government is “following the science” is in many respects laudable, but is it also a convenient way to avoid or limit accountability? Due to a lack of transparency, it is unclear whether and to what extent substantive decisions are being made by scientists, or if this is just a politically helpful turn of phrase. A recent Institute for Government report Decision Making in a Crisis: First Responses to the Coronavirus Pandemic potentially provides some insight into this question. The report says that when deciding whether to lockdown the country in March, the Government looked to science for “answers” for what to do, rather than as part of a range of inputs into a decision-making process. Is the Government delegating decisions for which, under statute, it is exclusively responsible? Possibly. It is necessary to consider how decision-making and accountability mechanisms for decision-makers must be modified to reflect this change in who exercises power in the United Kingdom and how. It is often argued that scientists should be “on tap but not on top.” This post asks if this “on tap not on top” relationship is possible during a pandemic, and to assess the challenges for legal and democratic accountability if it is not.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 21st September 2020
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org
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