Category: news

‘The British Indian Ocean Territory Constitution Order 2004 is legislation made by Royal Prerogative. Section 9 provides that there is no right of abode in the Chagos Islands. In R (Mandarin) v HM BIOT Commissioner (31 March 2026) the British Indian Ocean Territory Supreme Court ruled that section 9 was irrational and quashed it. I argue that the judgment is correct, that the 2004 Order is a colonial anachronism and that is antithetical to constitutional principles, democratic principles and the rule of law.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 13th April 2026

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

‘This paper explores the “criminalisation” of asylum in recent UK law and policy, most notably the 2022 Nationality and Borders Act (NABA) and 2023 Illegal Migration Act (IMA), and the ways in which this framework has fed through into recent legislative and policy measures. Whilst the development and expansion of criminal offences relating to irregular entry and arrival may be considered the most overt form of “criminalising” people on the move, in this paper it is argued that the criminalisation of asylum in the UK today should not only be understood through the prism of crimmigration measures which are expressly penal in nature, but also through an array of measures which, although framed as administrative and civil, are similarly punitive in character and serve the criminal punishment rationale of retribution and deterrence. The legislative framework of the NABA 2022 and IMA 2023 has paved the way for this progressive “criminalisation” by sanctioning those arriving irregularly to the UK to claim asylum. This trend has been continued in recent law and policy, and progressively expanded in a manner that increasingly sanctions refugees for the very fact of having claimed asylum in the UK.’

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EIN Blog, 13th April 2026

Source: www.ein.org.uk

‘The Artemis II mission has brought back into focus the extraction of space resources for commercial gain. But laws governing the exploitation of lunar materials remain an untenable fudge.’

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Law Society Gazette, 13th April 2026

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

‘The use of AI to generate criminal court transcripts – long proposed by campaigners for more open justice – is to be tested, the Ministry of Justice announced today. In the research HM Courts & Tribunals Service will test the accuracy of its in-house developed system, Justice Transcribe, in recording Crown court proceedings.’

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Law Society Gazette, 14th April 2026

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

‘Is the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office process fit for purpose? Women barristers’ experiences of bullying are not being reported or, if they are, they are not making it through the system, says Tana Adkin KC.’

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Counsel, 13th April 2026

Source: www.counselmagazine.co.uk

‘If lawyers using AI forget it is just a tool, and stop being ethical responsible lawyers, it will cause mayhem – Flora Page KC explores the legal and ethical pitfalls and offers essential guidance on developing good, safe AI practices in-house.’

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Counsel, 13th April 2026

Source: www.counselmagazine.co.uk

‘HM Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor said that while some progress had been made to improve the situation at HMP Manchester, drugs, violence and a “poor regime” remained serious threats to stability.’

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BBC News, 14th April 2026

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘Eleven Metropolitan Police officers are being investigated by the police watchdog for their handling of the initial inquiry into a crash in Wimbledon that killed two schoolgirls three years ago, the BBC has been told.’

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BBC News, 14th April 2026

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘The High Court (Mansfield J) has held that Thlimmenos discrimination can only apply where a claimant is asking for an exception to be introduced to an otherwise general rule; it does not apply where both the claimant and their comparator are outside the ambit of the general rule and thus not subject to any “treatment”. In this sense, the Thlimmenos principle does not permit claimants to seek a form of positive discrimination. The case is R (CKS and others) v Secretary of State for Education [2026] EWHC 741 (Admin).’

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Administrative Court Blog, 10th April 2026

Source: administrativecourtblog.wordpress.com

‘A new chambers specialising in employment law has opened in London, bidding to break free from the old hierarchical order found in traditional sets.’

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Legal Futures, 13th April 2026

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

‘An unofficial carer has been handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 19 years for the murder of a disabled man whose body he concealed for up to a month.’

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The Independent, 10th April 2026

Source: www.independent.co.uk

‘UK government officials acknowledged that they had run out of time to pass legislation within the current parliamentary session, which ends in the coming weeks.’

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The Guardian, 11th April 2026

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘An accelerated misconduct hearing found that PC Charlie Cano, who worked at Charing Cross police station, made disrespectful remarks and boasted about using force against a teenage female detainee.’

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BBC News, 10th April 2026

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘A real estate manager has been awarded nearly £400,000 by an employment tribunal after accumulating an astonishing 827 unpaid holiday days over 25 years.’

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The Independent, 10th April 2026

Source: www.independent.co.uk

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The Guardian, 9th April 2026

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘Carlo Tritta, 19, of Bishopstoke, Eastleigh, Hampshire, has been locked up for 28 months after he pleaded guilty to various offences including making indecent images of a child and sexual communications with a child.’

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The Independent, 9th April 2026

Source: www.independent.co.uk

‘More than 80% of pupil barristers said their overall experience of pupillage was positive, according to a survey published today.

‘The Bar Council’s annual pupil survey – answered by 30% of all pupils – found 83% had an overall positive pupillage experience while more than half (56%) described it as “very positive”.’

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Bar Council, 10th April 2026

Source: www.barcouncil.org.uk

‘The Court of Appeal in Re J, Re M and Re P (Parental Responsibility) [2026] EWCA Civ 344 has provided authoritative guidance on a fundamental question in family law: whether a person who is not a child’s biological father can acquire parental responsibility by being named on the birth certificate. The court firmly answered that question in the negative, clarifying the meaning of “father” under the Children Act 1989 and resolving a line of inconsistent first instance decisions.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 9th April 2026

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

‘The UK sponsorship regime is undergoing a significant and deliberate shift. The Home Office has introduced a series of updates to sponsor licence guidance over the past year, with further changes continuing into 2026. While many of these amendments are presented as clarifications, their cumulative effect is clear: the compliance expectations placed on sponsor licence holders have been materially strengthened.’

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EIN Blog, 9th April 2026

Source: www.ein.org.uk

‘A reined-in legal ombudsman has vowed to make do with the reduced budget increase it has been allowed – but warned there will be consequences for how quickly complaints can be handled.’

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Law Society Gazette, 10th April 2026

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk