Mentally unfit refugees unfairly targeted by Home Office – The Guardian

‘The Home Office is covertly targeting the most vulnerable asylum seekers – those considered mentally unfit, or victims of torture – for deportation as part of the government’s hardline stance on immigration, according to lawyers and charity workers.’

Full story

The Guardian, 25th January 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Regina (Noor Khan) v Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs – WLR Daily

Regina (Noor Khan) v Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs [2014] EWCA Civ 24; [2013] WLR (D) 14

‘The English court would not adjudicate, either as a question of justiciability or as a matter of discretion, on a claim which sought to characterise the actions of United Kingdom officials passing on locational intelligence to officials of the United States of America for use in drone strikes as secondary criminal offences either under domestic criminal law or international humanitarian law, because such relief would necessarily entail a condemnation of the activities of a foreign sovereign state.’

WLR Daily, 20th January 2014

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Theresa May’s stop-and-search plan delayed by government wrangling – The Guardian

Posted January 22nd, 2014 in government departments, news, police, stop and search by sally

‘Plans by Theresa May to reform controversial police “stop and search” powers are being held up by wrangling between the Home Office and Downing Street, government sources have confirmed.

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The Guardian, 22nd January 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Home Office has ‘tailored plans’ for terror suspects as controls expire – The Guardian

‘Police and MI5 will put “tailored plans” in place to manage the risks posed by terror suspects when existing supervision measures expire later this month, the Home Office has insisted.’

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The Guardian, 18th January 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Pressure grows for inquiry into UK role in Iraq ‘war crimes’ – The Independent

‘Legal experts from around the world are to join calls for an investigation into whether British politicians and senior military figures should be prosecuted for alleged war crimes in Iraq.’

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The Independent, 12th January 2014

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Bedroom tax loophole could exempt 40,000 wrongly identified as liable – The Guardian

Posted January 10th, 2014 in benefits, government departments, housing, news by tracey

‘Thousands of people have been wrongly identified as liable for the bedroom tax, including some who now face eviction or have been forced to move to a smaller property, as a result of an error by Department of Work and Pensions. Housing experts believe as many as 40,000 people could be affected by the mistake. The DWP says it believes only a “small number” of tenants are affected, which it estimates number 5,000.’

Full story

The Guardian, 9th January 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Government issues revised ‘identify proofing’ guidelines – OUT-LAW.com

Posted January 8th, 2014 in electronic commerce, government departments, identity fraud, news by sally

‘The Government has updated guidance it has issued on the identity proofing and verification of individuals.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 8th January 2014

Source: www.out-law.com

Smith v Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change – WLR Daily

Smith v Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change [2013] EWCA Civ 1585; [2013] WLR (D) 473

‘In order for the court to have jurisdiction to make an order under CPR r 31.16 for disclosure before proceedings had started, it was not a requirement that the applicant have an arguable case in those proceedings.’

WLR Daily, 5th December 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

UK governments blocked investigations into Malaysian massacre cover-up – The Guardian

Posted November 27th, 2013 in appeals, armed forces, colonies, government departments, homicide, inquiries, news, police by tracey

‘British governments blocked two police investigations into the covering up of the killing by British troops of 24 unarmed rubber plantation workers during counterinsurgency operations in Malaysia nearly 65 years ago, the appeal court heard on Tuesday.’

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The Guardian, 26th November 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Foreign Office apology for Egypt rape victim – BBC News

‘A British woman who was raped in Egypt has received an apology and £1,000 in compensation from the Foreign Office after it failed to provide proper support to her.’

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BBC News, 27th November 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Richard III remains: York v Leicester legal battle to be laid to rest – The Guardian

‘An “unseemly and undignified” legal battle over where the remains of the last Plantagenet king of England, Richard III, should be laid to rest resumes on Tuesday, 528 years after his death and a year after his skeleton was found under a Leicester car park. Richard’s remains are currently in a laboratory at Leicester University.’

Full story

The Guardian, 26th November 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Ministry of Justice, Republic of Lithuania v Bucnys (Antonov intervening); Sakalis v Ministry of Justice, Republic of Lithuania (Same intervening); Lavrov v Ministry of Justice, Estonia (Same intervening) – WLR Daily

Posted November 22nd, 2013 in appeals, EC law, extradition, government departments, law reports, Supreme Court, warrants by tracey

Ministry of Justice, Republic of Lithuania v Bucnys (Antonov intervening); Sakalis v Ministry of Justice, Republic of Lithuania (Same intervening); Lavrov v Ministry of Justice, Estonia (Same intervening): [2013] UKSC 71;   [2013] WLR (D)  446

‘A European arrest warrant issued by a government ministry in respect of a convicted person with a view to his or her arrest and extradition could be regarded as issued by a judicial authority for the purposes of Council Framework Decision 2002/584/JHA— and Part 1 of the Extradition Act 2003 which gave effect to it in the United Kingdom— if the ministry had only issued the warrant at the request of and by way of endorsement of a decision that the issue of such a warrant was appropriate made by the court responsible for the sentence or some other person or body properly regarded as a judicial authority responsible for its execution. A ministry which had power to issue an European arrest warrant of its own motion and had done so, or which had issued a warrant at the request of a non-judicial authority, including an executive agency such as a prison department, could not be regarded as a judicial authority for those purposes.’

WLR Daily, 20th November 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Sakalis (Appellant) v Ministry of Justice, Lithuania (Respondent); Lavrov (Respondent) v Ministry of Justice, Estonia (Appellant); Bucnys (Appellant) v Ministry of Justice, Lithuania (Respondent) – Supreme Court

Posted November 21st, 2013 in appeals, extradition, government departments, law reports, Supreme Court, warrants by sally

Sakalis (Appellant) v Ministry of Justice, Lithuania (Respondent); Lavrov (Respondent) v Ministry of Justice, Estonia (Appellant); Bucnys (Appellant) v Ministry of Justice, Lithuania (Respondent) [2013] UKSC 71 (YouTube)

Supreme Court, 20th November 2013

Source: www.youtube.com/user/UKSupremeCourt

CF v Security Service and others; Mohamed v Foreign and Commonwealth Office and others – WLR Daily

CF v Security Service and others; Mohamed v Foreign and Commonwealth Office and others [2013] EWHC 3402 (QB); [2013] WLR (D) 439

“A court could make a declaration under section 6 of the Justice and Security Act 2013 permitting a closed material application to be made to the court before a public interest immunity claim had been made or determined.”

WLR Daily, 7th November 2013

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Jeremy Hunt loses appeal as Lewisham hospital cuts ruled illegal – The Guardian

“The health secretary suffered another embarrassing legal defeat on Tuesday when appeal court judges ruled he had acted illegally in cutting A&E and maternity services at Lewisham hospital in south-east London.”

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The Guardian, 29th October 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Ministry fined after Cardiff prisoner details emailed to families – BBC News

Posted October 22nd, 2013 in data protection, fines, government departments, news, prisons by tracey

“The Ministry of Justice has been fined £140,000 after the details of more than 1,000 inmates at Cardiff prison were emailed to three prisoners’ families.”

Full story

BBC News, 22nd October 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Back to basics: why a public authority can’t be an HRA victim – UK Human Rights Blog

“David Mead looks at a case in which the Olympic Delivery Agency got an injunction against protesters: Olympic Delivery Authority v Persons Unknown. The ODA was a public authority, and the protesters were advancing defences under Articles 10 (freedom of expression) and 11 (freedom of association). Arnold J dismissed the defences on the basis that these rights needed to be balanced against the ODA’s rights to property under A1P1.”

Full story

UK Human Rights Blog, 17th October 2013

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

Foreign criminal awarded £25,000 damages – Daily Telegraph

Posted October 17th, 2013 in contempt of court, damages, detention, government departments, news by sally

“A foreign criminal jailed for robbery has been awarded £25,000 damages because of mistakes made by the Home Office during deportation proceedings.”

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Daily Telegraph, 16th October 2013

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Code of practice call over government tsars – BBC News

Posted October 15th, 2013 in codes of practice, government departments, news, parliament, reports by sally

“The process for appointing government ‘tsars’ and evaluating their work is inadequate, a new report has claimed.”

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BBC News, 15th October 2013

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Plebgate: Keir Starmer defends police investigation – The Guardian

“Britain’s most senior prosecutor said he understands concerns surrounding the time it has taken to investigate police officers over the Plebgate saga, which cost Tory MP Andrew Mitchell his cabinet post.”

Full story

The Guardian, 13th October 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk