Good Law Project issues letter before action against Secretary of State over “arbitrary” new Voter ID rules – Local Government Lawyer

‘Campaign organisation Good Law Project has sent a letter before action to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Michael Gove, regarding his response to a report by the Electoral Commission on the impact of the voter ID requirements.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 15th February 2024

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Masked protesters could soon face arrest, says Home Office – The Guardian

Posted February 8th, 2024 in demonstrations, identification, news, police, public order by tracey

‘Protesters who wear masks could face arrest, up to a month in jail and a £1,000 fine under proposed measures that human rights campaigners claim are pandering to “culture war nonsense”.’

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The Guardian, 8th February 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Research Briefing: Voter ID – House of Commons Library

Posted September 19th, 2023 in elections, identification, identity fraud, news by sally

‘Voters must now show photo ID at UK Parliamentary elections, police and crime commissioner elections and at local elections in England. This briefing looks at the background to voter ID in the Great Britain.’

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House of Commons Library, 18th September 2023

Source: commonslibrary.parliament.uk

Hundreds of thousands face exclusion over voter ID laws, UK watchdog says – The Guardian

Posted September 13th, 2023 in elections, equality, government departments, identification, news by tracey

‘Warning policy could disproportionately effect poorer people, those with disabilities and those from minority ethnic backgrounds.’

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The Guardian, 13th September 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

More action to fight fraud, bribery and other economic crime – Home Office

‘Plans have been submitted to modernise the identification doctrine, a legal principle which can hold corporations criminally liable for an offence.’

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Home Office, 15th June 2023

Source: www.gov.uk

Elections watchdog to conduct analysis of implementation of voter ID – Local Government Lawyer

Posted May 10th, 2023 in elections, identification, local government, news, ombudsmen by sally

‘The Electoral Commission has revealed it will conduct a “full report” on the May 2023 local elections, which will analyse the impact of the voter ID requirement.’

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Local Government Lawyer, May 2023

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

‘I was denied my right’: voter ID rules a barrier for some in England – The Guardian

Posted May 5th, 2023 in elections, fraud, identification, local government, news by tracey

‘The introduction of voter ID in England has left a number of people, often from more marginalised groups, unable to cast ballots in local elections – although some officials’ fears of widespread chaos did not materialise.’

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The Guardian, 4th May 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

A Question of Identity – Voter Identification – 4-5 Gray’s Inn Square

‘This article is intended to serve as an update on the new voter identification rules that have been introduced as a result of the voter identity requirements provisions contained in the Elections Act 2022. Save to note that, prior to its enactment, the proposed legislation attracted considerable debate as to whether the historic level of electoral fraud, and in particular personation, within the United Kingdom justified the introduction of these requirements the author does not intend to cover the arguments for or against them.’

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4-5 Gray's Inn Square, 7th March 2023

Source: www.4-5.co.uk

‘Give or Take a Few Years’: Age Assessments in Care Proceedings – St Philips Barristers

‘Age assessments predominantly arise within the arena of immigration law where the question to be determined is whether the individual concerned is aged under 18. Those seeking to enter the UK are often both unaccompanied and undocumented, and the determination of age is a prerequisite to their legal protection. However, such disputes are not so commonplace in care proceedings. Often, the young person is already residing in the country and usually retains proof of identification.’

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St Philips Barristers, 30th March 2023

Source: st-philips.com

British man deported to Jamaica launches action against Home Office – The Guardian

‘A British man convicted of murder is launching a legal action against the Home Office after he was wrongly deported to Jamaica.’

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The Guardian, 19th March 2023

Source: www.theguardian.com

Jed Meers, Joe Tomlinson, Alice Welsh and Charlotte O’Brien: Rights on Paper? The Discriminatory Effects of Digital Immigration Status on Private Landlord Decisions – Constitutional Law Association

‘Under the EU settlement scheme, millions of EU, EEA and Swiss nationals have been granted “digital-only” immigration status. Instead of having physical documentation to prove their immigration status, these individuals must rely on an online proof-of-status service through the GOV.UK website. We wanted to examine whether individuals with this form of “digital only” status are disadvantaged in the private rented sector by exploring the decision-making behaviour of English landlords when choosing between prospective tenants. The so-called “Right to Rent” policy requires English private landlords to check the immigration status of a tenant or lodger, to ensure they can legally rent their property. In practice, this happens by inspecting their proof of ID. We therefore had two questions. First, are the tenant preferences of English private rented sector landlords influenced by ID status? Second, to what extent is ID status a significant factor in English private rented sector landlord preferences, relative to factors already known to influence landlord decision-making (such as age, gender, ethnicity, and occupation)?’

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Constitutional Law Association, 14th March 2023

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

Judge rules birth father should have been notified of existence of child but accepts he cannot force mother to reveal his identity – Local Government Lawyer

Posted February 23rd, 2023 in adoption, birth, children, identification, news, notification, paternity by sally

‘A Family Court judge has said he cannot compel a mother to disclose the identity of a toddler’s birth father, even though he should have been told of the child’s existence before adoption proceedings are completed.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 23rd February 2023

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

UK government launches consultation on greater data sharing across public sector – OUT-LAW.com

‘The UK Cabinet Office has opened a consultation on proposals for new legislation to enable and create a centralised digital ID gateway to online public services.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 10th January 2023

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

Child asylum seekers detained as adults after UK Home Office ‘alters birth dates’ – The Guardian

‘The Home Office is routinely changing the dates of birth of unaccompanied child asylum seekers to classify them as adults, according to experts who say the practice is now happening on a “horrifying scale”.’

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The Guardian, 27th November 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

Research Briefing: Voter ID – House of Commons Library

Posted November 17th, 2022 in elections, fraud, identification, identity cards, news, parliament by tracey

‘The Elections Act 2022 will introduce the requirement to show photo ID at UK Parliamentary elections, police and crime commissioner elections and at local elections in England. This briefing looks at the background to voter ID in the UK.’

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House of Commons Library , 14th November 2022

Source: commonslibrary.parliament.uk

Suella Braverman to consider giving anonymity to suspected criminals – The Guardian

‘The home secretary will examine the possibility of giving anonymity to suspected criminals after concern over the identification and treatment of high-profile people wrongly accused of sexual abuse.’

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The Guardian, 3rd October 2022

Source: www.theguardian.com

Modernising lasting powers of attorney: change is coming – Legal Futures

‘In 2007, the Mental Capacity Act 2005 introduced Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPAs) which for the first time allowed a donor to appoint an attorney to make decisions both about their property and financial affairs, but also about their health and welfare.’

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Legal Futures, 17th August 2022

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

New Judgment: R (on the application of Coughlan) v Minister for the Cabinet Office [2022] UKSC 11 – UKSC Blog

Posted April 28th, 2022 in elections, identification, local government, news, pilot schemes, ultra vires by sally

‘This appeal concerns a challenge brought by the Appellant to orders made by the Respondent in respect of Braintree District Council and nine other local authorities (“the Pilot Orders”). These Pilot Orders authorised schemes to temporarily change the rules set out in secondary legislation governing local elections. These schemes, which were implemented in ten local authority areas in respect of the local government elections in May 2019, each introduced a new requirement for some form of voter identification for those local elections.’

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UKSC Blog, 27th April 2022

Source: ukscblog.com

Supreme Court to issue ruling next week on lawfulness of voter ID pilot schemes – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Supreme Court will next week (27 April) issue its ruling on whether the voter identification (“ID”) pilot schemes that were implemented in the May 2019 local government elections were lawful.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 21st April 2022

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Government defeated over voter ID plans in House of Lords – BBC News

‘The government has been defeated in the House of Lords over its plans to introduce photo ID for voters in elections.’

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BBC News, 7th April 2022

Source: www.bbc.co.uk