Category: news

‘The Court of Protection has allowed the co-founder of the Open Justice Court of Protection Project to receive the position statements made in a case concerning a living will, but Mr Justice Poole said in future any disputes about provision of a position statement to an observer must be brought to the attention of the judge and resolved during the hearing.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 22nd July 2025

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

‘Hewlett-Packard (HP) is set to recoup more than £700m ($944m) from the estate of the late Mike Lynch and his former business partner, Sushovan Hussain, a London High Court judge ruled on Tuesday.’

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The Independent, 22nd July 2025

Source: www.independent.co.uk

‘A man who was driving without a licence and inhaled nitrous oxide before and after killing an 81-year-old cyclist at a pedestrian crossing has been detained for more than 11 years.’

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The Guardian, 21st July 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) Annual Report for 2024/25 released last week sadly provides evidence of a severe and serious weakening of information rights regulation compared to the strong enforcement which is (and remains) promised especially under the (UK) General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Despite even last year’s Report generally revealing formal enforcement such as fines, criminal prosecutions and criminal cautions which were in the single digits only, the Report now omits any reference to UK GDPR enforcement notices (as there were none at all during 2024/25) and states that there were just 2 UK GDPR fines during the year (which compares to >200 in both Germany and Spain) and that even the number of outcomes resulting in reprimands fell from 31 to just 9 (a 70% reduction). Coming on top of concerns over the lack of enforcement action in response to many egregious data breaches including one which put up to 100,000 Afghans at risk of grave harm and possibly even caused death, the Report also reveals that the number of reported data breaches which even resulted in a GDPR investigation (let alone enforcement action) dropped from a mere 6% to just 3%. At the same time, the number of data protection complaints which received no response during the expected 90 day timeframe sky-rocketed from just 15.2% in 2023/24 to 70% in 2024/25 (a 360% increase). As the review of the UK’s EU data adequacy status commences later this year, questions must be asked about these worrying trends and what (if anything) can be done to address them.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 22nd July 2025

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

‘In January, in Thatchers v Aldi [2025] EWCA Civ 5, the Court of Appeal found that Aldi Stores Ltd’s (Aldi) Taurus Cloudy Lemon Cider infringed Thatchers Cider Company Ltd’s (Thatchers) registered trade mark. That decision marked a turning point for brand owners seeking to challenge supermarket lookalikes. With the Supreme Court’s endorsement, the legal position has been further cemented in favour of brand protection.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 18th July 2025

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

‘On 15th July 2025, the UK Government (UKG) published its response to its review and public consultation on Parts 1 and 2 of the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020 (UKIMA). The Response confirms the UKG’s commitment to (re)position the Common Frameworks (sector-specific intergovernmental agreements coordinating policy in devolved areas previously governed by EU law) ahead of the UKIMA to manage future policy divergence in devolved areas affecting intra-UK trade. It also details six reforms that the UKG will bring forward in coming months. After setting out some brief background to the Review, the first part of this post explores the UKG’s reform proposals, with a focus on changes to the existing UKIMA exclusion process. Thereafter, this post reflects on the UKG’s broader aspiration to manage intra-UK trade under devolution primarily by consensus through the Common Frameworks, rather than by imposition under the UKIMA.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 21st July 2025

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

‘A man has been found guilty of murdering two men in London whom he decapitated and dismembered before taking their body parts in two suitcases to the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol.’

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The Guardian, 21st July 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘The government has said it is making “substantial changes” to the compensation scheme for thousands of victims of the infected blood scandal.’

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BBC News, 22nd July 2025

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘Plans to almost triple the size of the Wimbledon tennis site are set to proceed after a campaign group’s legal challenge against the decision to grant planning permission was dismissed by a High Court judge.’

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BBC News, 21st July 2025

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘A woman has been jailed for 15 years for killing her four-month-old daughter by violently shaking her.’

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The Guardian, 21st July 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘The purpose of this project is to review the law, practice, guidance and procedure in sexual offences cases and to make recommendations for reform to improve the understanding of consent and sexual harm, improve treatment of complainants, and ensure that defendants receive a fair trial.’

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Law Commission, 22nd July 2025

Source: lawcom.gov.uk

‘On 15 July 2025, the Law Commission published its Consultation on Chancel repair liability and registration. The Law Commission is consulting on reforms to the law governing land registration and chancel repair liability. This project aims to close a historic loophole and save homeowners millions in insurance costs. Those with an interest in this area of law, or are affected by or have the benefit of a chancel repair liability, are requested to complete the questionnaire.’

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Law & Religion UK, 21st July 2025

Source: lawandreligionuk.com

‘Following a catastrophic administrative error placing the lives of thousands of Afghans at risk, the UK government obtained a super-injunction, enabling it to attempt to clear up the mess it had created behind a veil of impenetrable secrecy. The courts’ willingness to keep the super-injunction in place for nearly two years raises some important constitutional questions.’

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Public Law for Everyone, 17th July 2025

Source: publiclawforeveryone.com

‘The Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber) has dismissed an appeal by a landlord against a £3,000 civil penalty imposed by Swale Borough Council for failing to comply with an improvement notice, finding that the First-tier Tribunal (FTT) was entitled to conclude that no reasonable excuse had been established.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 21st July 2025

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

‘At the heart of the case of R (Bailey) v HM Senior Coroner for East London [2025] EWHC 1637 (Admin), a tragedy: the murder of a 14-year-old boy, Jaden Bailey, and the profound grief of his mother. Jaden had been drawn into criminal activity, first in Nottinghamshire, then London. In October 2018 he had been found at a “cuckoo house” in Bournemouth, in possession of cocaine, a mobile phone and £325 in cash. He was brought back to London by the Metropolitan Police, following which an action plan was prepared by the Children’s Social Care Department of the London Borough of Waltham Forest. In November 2018 Jaden was permanently excluded from school after a Snapchat video showed him in possession of an imitation firearm, for which he was arrested and charged, pleading guilty. On 8 January 2019 Jaden was riding a moped in Leyton when he was hit by a car; the occupants of the car got out and stabbed Jaden. He died at the scene.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 21st July 2025

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

‘R (ex parte AIN) v London Borough of Tower Hamlets. High Court (Admin) 29 April 2025 (Unreported elsewhere. We have a full note of judgment (unapproved) from the claimant’s solicitors, Osbornes Law, for which we are grateful). It is interesting in its treatment of the ‘five factors’ for consideration in making a mandatory order set out in Imam, R (on the application of) v London Borough of Croydon (2023) UKSC 45.

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Nearly Legal, 20th July 2025

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk

‘An independent football regulator has been signed into UK law after the Football Governance Act received royal assent, giving fans a greater say in how their clubs are run.’

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The Independent, 21st July 2025

Source: www.independent.co.uk

‘A 13 year old boy was refusing to obey High Court orders that he spend time with his mother following his parents’ separation. After three years of failed attempts to persuade him to see her, the court asked the Tipstaff’s office to enforce an order that he be collected from his home with his father and taken to spend four weeks with his mother in a ‘protective placement’. (The Tipstaff is an officer of the High Court, based at the Royal Courts of Justice, who can be called on by the court to enforce orders and warrants in England and Wales.) The boy refused to go with them and claimed he was physically assaulted by the court-appointed officers.’

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Transparency Project, 20th July 2025

Source: transparencyproject.org.uk

‘More than four decades after the violent policing at Orgreave during the miners’ strike and a failed prosecution criticised as a police “frame up”, the government has established a statutory inquiry into the scandal.’

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The Guardian, 20th July 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘The profession has failed to make “significant progress in tackling the structural and cultural barriers to encouraging equality and diversity”, the Legal Services Board (LSB) has declared.’

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Legal Futures, 21st July 2025

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk