Man who threatened to kill Ed Miliband jailed – BBC News
‘A man who threatened to kill former Labour leader Ed Miliband has been jailed for three years.’
BBC News, 29th August 2024
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: parliament
Assisted dying bill to be introduced into House of Lords – The Guardian
‘Keir Starmer is under pressure to fulfil a promise to allow a parliamentary vote on legalising assisted dying as a bill is to be introduced into the House of Lords on Friday.’
The Guardian, 26th July 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
Sanjit Nagi: “A Mandate for Change!”: Popular Sovereignty and the Labour Party – UK Constitutional Law Association
‘The recent general election saw the Labour Party being elected with a majority of 171 seats in Parliament. The following morning, in his first speech as Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer claimed the nation had given the Labour Party a “clear mandate”. Similarly, the new Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, stated the British people had voted for change and she had “begun the work necessary to deliver on that mandate” by implementing the economic ideas set out in the Labour Party’s manifesto. Lastly, in one of his first acts as Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Ed Miliband’s lifting of the onshore wind ban was justified on the grounds of the new Labour government being “elected with a mandate to take immediate action to boost Britain’s energy independence”. Overall, there has been a heavy emphasis on the direct relationship between the electoral mandate given by the British people and the implementation of policies.
Whether intentional or not, this speaks to a socialistic-constitutional tradition that developed within the Labour Party from 1900 to 1951. This tradition saw a reformulation of the Diceyan view of parliamentary sovereignty in the British constitution. More specifically, it departed from a legal notion of sovereignty and understood the authority of the elected majority in Parliament, its legislators, and its political and policy agenda as deriving from the citizenry themselves. As such, reframing sovereignty as popular sovereignty was the basis for implementing an uninhibited, electorally sanctioned, social and economic agenda. The short and simple aim of this post is to provide a legal-historical account of this reimagination of sovereignty by key figures within the Labour Party.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 22nd July 2024
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org
Stephen Tierney: The Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act 2024: Necessary remedy or unwarranted interference with judicial independence? – UK Constitutional Law Association
‘For the first time, by way of the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act (“the Act”), Parliament has legislated to quash criminal convictions. In this post I will argue that, no matter how understandable, indeed laudable, the intention behind this legislation, in its haste to offer a speedy and comprehensive correction to mass injustice, Parliament has crossed a constitutional line and ventured into territory that is properly the preserve of the courts.’
UK Constitutional Law Association , 3rd June 2024
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org
Review of whiplash tariff concluded – but may not be published – Legal Futures
‘The Lord Chancellor has completed his review of the whiplash tariff but it is unclear whether the plan to publish it in early June will now happen because of the election.’
Legal Futures, 24th May 2024
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
Daniel Skeffington and Philippe Lagassé: Principle, Practice, and Prerogative – UK Constitutional Law Association
‘It remains commonplace, both in political and public law discourse, to describe the Royal Prerogative as archaic or anachronistic. Executive power in the United Kingdom may begin with the Crown, but even the most venerated constitutional historians have long thought “the Crown” is a convenient cover for ignorance. Much like the sovereignty of Parliament, the more one explores its foundations, the more one suspects the bedrock will turn out to be quicksand. As the residue of the Crown’s discretionary authority, exercised by Ministers by convention without formal or legal restraint, it has been said prerogative remains difficult to translate into the modern era, precisely because it derives from the sixteenth century. A space devoid, on some accounts, of legality itself.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 23rd May 2024
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org
What laws can the Conservative government pass before the general election? – The Independent
‘The Conservatives and Labour have held talks to work out what outstanding legislation can be rushed through parliament to become law before the Commons closes for the general election.’
The Independent, 23rd May 2024
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Letterbox contact can no longer be seen as appropriate regime for most cases, and should “certainly not be the norm”: Family President – Local Government Lawyer
‘The President of the Family Division, Sir Andrew McFarlane, has outlined the need for a “new approach” to post-adoption contact, noting that letterbox contact can “no longer be seen as the appropriate regime for most cases”.’
Local Government Lawyer, 23rd May 2024
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
No-fault evictions bill now unlikely to pass – BBC News
‘The Conservatives’ promise to abolish no-fault evictions before the election will not happen, sources have told the BBC.’
BBC News, 24th May 2024
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Ordinary reference and reference innuendo – Law Society’s Gazette
‘Judgment has been handed down in the strike-out application brought by Matt Hancock MP in respect of a defamation claim brought against him by Andrew Bridgen MP.’
Law Society's Gazette, 14th May 2024
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
MPs arrested for sexual offences face bans from parliamentary estate – The Guardian
‘MPs who have been arrested for serious violent or sexual offences face bans from the parliamentary estate under rules approved by just one vote. The House of Commons voted by 170 to 169 on Monday night to toughen up a proposal put forward by the government, which would have only applied to MPs who have been formally charged.’
The Guardian, 13th May 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
Council of Europe human rights watchdog condemns UK’s Rwanda bill – The Guardian
‘The Council of Europe’s human rights watchdog has condemned Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda scheme, saying it raises “major issues about the human rights of asylum seekers and the rule of law”.’
The Guardian, 23rd April 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
Rwanda bill: what does the latest delay mean? – The Guardian
‘Rishi Sunak’s plan to fly people seeking asylum to Rwanda this spring appears to have been put back to the summer after House of Lords insisted on changes to the scheme.’
The Guardian, 19th April 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
Paul F Scott: Spying on Parliamentarians -UK Constitutional Law Association
‘The Investigatory Powers (Amendment) Bill was introduced into Parliament before Christmas, starting in the House of Lords, to which it will shortly return for consideration of Commons amendments. Generally, the progress of the Bill, much of which implements recommendations made by Lord Anderson of Ipswich in his review of the Investigatory Powers Act 2016 of June 2023, has been smooth. This post considers an issue which has been the focus of a large portion of the attention the Bill has received during the Parliamentary process – the change being made to the law permitting the surveillance of parliamentarians – and the logic it might be thought to reflect.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 17th April 2024
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org
Chester man who stalked MP Samantha Dixon jailed – BBC News
‘Benjamin Scott-Thrale, 32, of Chester, Cheshire, launched a campaign of harassment against Samantha Dixon MP, in June 2023 until January, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.’
BBC News, 7th April 2024
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Changes to legal migration rules for family and work visas in 2024 – House of Commons Library
‘On 4 December 2023 the Home Secretary, James Cleverly, announced future changes to visa rules in what he described as a “five-point plan” to reduce immigration. The Home Office released more information on 21 December, including some adjustments to what had initially been announced.’
House of Commons Library, 11th April 2024
Source: commonslibrary.parliament.uk
Ex-Boris Johnson ethics adviser Lord Geidt found to have broken Lords rules – The Guardian
‘A crossbench peer and former ethics adviser to Boris Johnson has been found to have broken House of Lords rules by joining a meeting with Ministry of Defence officials on behalf of a US satellite company that was paying him.’
The Guardian, 27th March 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
Conor Crummey : The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill and the Judicial ‘Disapplication’ of Statutes – UK Constitutional Law Association
‘The myriad problems with the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, as well as the policy that the Bill is supposed to facilitate, have been clearly documented. One common criticism is that the Bill would precipitate a “constitutional crisis” by provoking the courts into refusing to recognise its legal effect. Adam Tucker argues that the Bill’s most problematic sections could very well “count as a novel entry in our canon of possible limits of parliamentary sovereignty”. Jeff King argues that the House of Lords would be justified in radically amending or voting the Bill down, precisely because of the danger that it might incite a constitutional crisis. The Lords suggested sweeping amendments to the Bill, all of which were rejected by the Commons. The Bill will continue to go through a ping-pong process between each House before a final wording is settled.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 26th March 2024
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org
Rwanda flights: Lords inflict further defeats on government – BBC News
‘The House of Lords has inflicted fresh defeats on the government over its flagship Rwanda bill, meaning further delay to it becoming law.’
BBC News, 21st March 2024
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Rwanda bill could become law without independent scrutiny, says ex-watchdog – The Guardian
‘Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda deportation bill could be forced on to the statute books without fulfilling the government’s legal commitment to independent scrutiny, the former borders watchdog has told peers.’
The Guardian, 19th March 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
