Top London school taken to high court over prayer ban – The Guardian

Posted January 17th, 2024 in equality, human rights, judicial review, news, school children, teachers by sally

‘One of England’s highest performing state schools, famed for its top results, strict discipline code and charismatic headteacher, has been challenged in the high court for its policy of banning prayer rituals on school premises.’

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The Guardian, 16th January 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Legislating fiction – EIN Blog

‘Members of Parliament in the UK will on 16 and 17 January 2024 debate the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, which “gives effect to the judgement of Parliament that the Republic of Rwanda is a safe country” for asylum-seekers. The Supreme Court unanimously ruled in November 2023 that Rwanda was manifestly not safe as asylum seekers sent to the country would face a real risk of ill-treatment due to insufficient guarantees against refoulement. The Bill thus aims to use law to determine a factual situation for as long as the law is in force. This blog discusses the risks inherent in creating such a “legal fiction” and how the Bill could be revised to mitigate this risk, before assessing the chances of it becoming law in the currently turbulent political context.’

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EIN Blog, 16th January 2024

Source: www.ein.org.uk

Sanjit Nagi: The Stranglehold of New Labour and Lord Irvine’s Rights-based Constitution – UK Constitutional Law Association

‘Last year’s Supreme Court decision in R (AAA) v Home Secretary – which found the British government’s Rwanda policy to be unlawful – has reignited broader debates about the position of a government which commands a majority in Parliament vis a vis the judiciary, the separation of powers, the extent to which legislating against judicial decisions is constitutionally proper or compatible with the rule of law, and the appropriateness of disapplying sections of the Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA 1998). This post does not restate or reengage with such topics; substantive attention has already been given by Tom Hickman KC, Professor Mark Elliott, Adam Tucker, Professor Sarah Singer, and Richard Ekins KC et al. Neither does it take a position on the feasibility or desirability of any specific government policy, the continued operation of HRA 1998, or membership of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

Instead, this post will argue that the backlash to and disapproval of the British government’s response to R (AAA) – the introduction of the Safety of Rwanda Bill, which, amongst other measures, allows Parliament to diverge from the Supreme Court’s judgment – neatly evidences the intended effect of New Labour and Lord Derry Irvine’s HRA 1998 system and judicial reforms.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 15th January 2024

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

UK government admits Rwanda has ‘issues with its human rights record’ – The Guardian

Posted January 12th, 2024 in asylum, bills, deportation, government departments, human rights, immigration, news, Rwanda by sally

‘The government has admitted that Rwanda still has “issues with its human rights record” despite claims by Rishi Sunak that it is a safe country.’

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The Guardian, 11th January 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

A blow – possibly fatal – to the IWGB’s quest for union recognition with Deliveroo – Cloisters

‘On 21 November 2023, the Supreme Court handed down its long-awaited judgment in the Deliveroo case, dismissing the appeal of the IWGB trade union. The Court confirmed that the union is not entitled to apply for statutory recognition under the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 (“TULRCA”) because its members, Deliveroo’s delivery riders (“the Riders”), are not workers within the autonomous concept under article 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights (“ECHR”).’

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Cloisters, 27th November 2024

Source: www.cloisters.com

The mirror crack’d from side to side: Dalton’s application for judicial review [2023] UKSC 36 – UK Human Rights Blog

‘In Lord Tennyson’s Arthurian ballad ‘The Lady of Shalott’, the eponymous heroine is stranded in her island castle. Continually weaving a web in her loom of the reflections of the outside world she sees in her mirror, she knows she will be cursed if she stops and looks out to nearby Camelot. But one day, Sir Lancelot rides by her castle and she abandons her loom and looks outside. Her mirror cracks “from side to side” and she is cursed. She leaves her castle and floats down to Camelot in a boat, dying before she reaches it.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 5th January 2024

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Failed succession, residential care and human rights incompatibility – Nearly Legal

‘Dudley Metropolitan Council v Mailley (2023) EWCA Civ 1246. We first saw this very sad case on first instance in the High Court. Ms Mailley was defending possession of a Dudley property of which her late mother had been the secure tenant since 1965. Ms Mailley had lived at the property since she was 11 years old and was now 68.’

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Nearly Legal, 30th December 2023

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk

Schools in England ‘face legal risks if they follow new transgender guidance’ – The Guardian

‘Schools in England could face legal action if they follow new guidance on how to treat transgender children, ministers’ own lawyers have reportedly warned.’

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The Guardian, 20th December 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

A newcomer to the world of injunctions – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted December 20th, 2023 in appeals, human rights, injunctions, local government, news, Supreme Court, travellers by sally

‘The appeal in Wolverhampton City Council and others v London Gypsies and Travellers and others [2023] UKSC 47 concerned injunctions obtained by over 38 different local authorities between 2015 and 2020 to prevent unauthorised encampments by Gypsies and Travellers. These “newcomer injunctions” as they are known, are a wholly new form of injunction, granted without prior notice, against persons unidentified at time of the grant of the injunction and who have not yet performed, or even threatened to perform the acts which the injunction prohibits. They therefore apply “to potentially anyone in the world”.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 19th December 2023

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Boy kept in solitary confinement wins £31,500 payout – The Guardian

Posted December 19th, 2023 in compensation, detention, human rights, mental health, news, young offenders by tracey

‘The UK government has agreed to pay £31,500 compensation after accepting that a 15-year-old boy with serious mental health problems was subjected to “inhuman or degrading treatment” by being kept in solitary confinement for almost two months.’

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The Guardian, 18th December 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Legal action planned over UK’s ‘cruel’ income threshold visa rules – The Guardian

‘Multinational families threatened with division or exile by tough new income thresholds for living together in the UK are planning legal action to overturn the “cruel and inhumane” policy.’

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The Guardian, 17th December 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Legal Implications of Doubling the Family Visa Income Requirement – EIN Blog

‘As many readers will be aware, part of the Home Secretary’s recently announced “five-point plan” on immigration included a significant increase to the minimum income threshold for family visas under Appendix FM of the Immigration Rules.’

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EIN Blog, 12th December 2023

Source: www.ein.org.uk

Can the new Rwanda bill work and what could stop it? – BBC News

Posted December 7th, 2023 in asylum, bills, human rights, immigration, international law, news, Rwanda, Supreme Court, treaties by michael

‘Expert lawyers who have been involved in the Rwanda case – or supported the challenge to the policy – have described new legislation as potentially setting up a politically explosive fight with both the Supreme Court and European Court of Human Rights.’

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BBC News, 6th December 2023

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Sunak’s bill aims to block UK human rights law to save Rwanda scheme – The Guardian

Posted December 7th, 2023 in asylum, bills, human rights, immigration, international law, news, Rwanda, Supreme Court, treaties by michael

‘An emergency bill published on Wednesday will assert that ministers have the power to ignore judgments that come from Strasbourg while stopping short of leaving or “disapplying” the European convention on human rights.’

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The Guardian, 6th October 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Case Preview: Secretary of State for Business and Trade v Mercer – UKSC Blog

‘Under the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 (“TULRCA”), s. 146, workers are protected against detriments falling short of dismissal related to taking part in the activities of an independent trade union at an appropriate time. The scope of “trade union activities” in that provision has been interpreted as not including industrial action.’

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UKSC Blog, 5th December 2023

Source: ukscblog.com

UK anti-strike rules may breach international law, MPs and peers warn – The Guardian

‘Workers in some public sector jobs will be completely prevented from striking under restrictive rules that may breach international law, parliament’s watchdog on human rights has said.’

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The Guardian, 28th November 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

High Court grants permission for legal challenge over lack of legal aid for school exclusion appeals – Local Government Lawyer

‘The High Court has granted permission for a claimant to challenge the lack of legal aid for appeals before an Independent Review Panel (IRP), the independent body that reviews the lawfulness of permanent exclusions.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 29th November 2023

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Bringing the Right to Die to the British Isles (Part I): The Isle of Man’s Proposed Assisted Dying Regime – Oxford Human Rights Hub

Posted November 29th, 2023 in assisted suicide, bills, human rights, news by sally

‘On 31 October 2023, a bill that would legalise assisted dying for the first time in the British Isles passed its second reading – but not in Westminster. Rather, it was Tynwald, the legislature of the Isle of Man, which took this step towards the protection of the right to a dignified death, or, depending on one’s view, the erosion of the right to life.’

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Oxford Human Rights Hub, 28th November 2023

Source: ohrh.law.ox.ac.uk

UK’s human-rights watchdog at risk of UN downgrade – The Guardian

‘Britain’s equality watchdog could lose its right to participate at the UN human rights council as a result of complaints about its independence and record on transgender rights.’

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The Guardian, 28th November 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Is an Artificial Neural Network a computer programme ineligible for patent protection? – UK Human Rights Blog

‘This fascinating case is imperative reading for anyone not computer literate who wishes to understand the concept of an Artificial Neural Network. In recent times the courts have had to grapple with the difficulties of this concept in relation to traditional computers and software. This appeal raised new questions because it involved deciding whether the use of an aspect of Artificial Intelligence, namely an Artificial Neural Network (“ANN”), in the circumstances of this case, fell under section 1(2)(c) of the Patents Act 1977 which excludes from patent protection “a program for a computer … as such”..’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 23rd November 2023

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com