‘English votes’ rules used for first time in House of Commons – BBC News
‘New “English votes for English laws” rules have been implemented in the House of Commons for the first time.’
BBC News, 12th January 2016
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Category: parliament
Theresa May faces scrutiny over snooper’s charter implications – The Guardian
‘MPs and peers are to challenge the home secretary, Theresa May, on the privacy implications and detailed operation of her snooper’s charter legislation when she appears before the bill’s parliamentary scrutiny committee.’
The Guardian, 13th January 2016
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Regina (Barda) v Mayor of London (on behalf of the Greater London Authority) – WLR Daily
‘The place, manner and form of a protest may be important in determining whether there has been an infringement of a protester’s rights to freedom of expression and assembly, but were not necessarily so.’
WLR Daily, 18th December 2015
Source: www.iclr.co.uk
Fracking under national parks backed by MPs – BBC News
‘MPs have voted to allow fracking for shale gas 1,200m below national parks and other protected sites. The new regulations – which permit drilling from outside the protected areas – were approved by 298 to 261.’
BBC News, 16th December 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Lords veto powers ‘to be curtailed’ – BBC News
‘David Cameron is preparing to use the full force of the law to clip the wings of the House of Lords after it blocked his welfare cuts, the BBC has learned. A review will say peers should lose their absolute veto over detailed laws known as secondary legislation. Peers will instead be offered a new power to send these laws back to the Commons, forcing MPs to vote again – but will only be able to do this once.’
BBC News, 16th December 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Lords reject attempt to lower EU referendum voting age to 16 – The Guardian
‘Sixteen- and 17-year-olds will not be given the vote in the the planned EU referendum, after peers succumbed to a government demand and voted to reject an extension of the franchise.’
The Guardian, 14th December 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
MPs overturn Lords bid to give 16- and 17-year-olds right to vote – The Guardian
‘Labour lords are preparing to defy the House of Commons after it blocked their proposals to let 16- and 17-year-olds vote in the EU referendum.’
The Guardian, 8th December 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Graham John Wheeler: When Should the Lords Reject Secondary Legislation? – UK Constitutional Law Association
‘On 26 October 2015, the House of Lords debated the Tax Credits (Income Thresholds and Determination of Rates) (Amendment) Regulations 2015. The Regulations were approved, but subject to two riders. Critics claimed that these riders constituted “fatal” amendments, and that they were therefore tantamount to a rejection of the legislation. It was argued that it is constitutionally improper for the House of Lords to reject financial legislation in this way.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 7th December 2015
Source: www.ukconstitutionallaw.org
Call for fewer Church of England bishops in House of Lords – BBC News
‘The number of Church of England bishops who sit as peers in the House of Lords should be cut to make way for leaders of other faiths, a new report argues.’
BBC News, 7th December 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Theresa May accused of rushing surveillance bill through back door – The Guardian
‘The home secretary, Theresa May, has been accused of fast-tracking her “snooper’s charter” legislation by the back door after giving a scrutiny committee of MPs and peers only three weeks to consider the 299-page bill.’
The Guardian, 26th November 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Former MP Tim Yeo loses Sunday Times cash claim libel bid – BBC News
‘Former Conservative MP Tim Yeo has lost his libel case against The Sunday Times over a “cash for advocacy” claim.’
BBC News, 25th November 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Human rights group challenges Government’s change to ministerial code – Daily Telegraph
‘Rights Watch UK describes the Government’s bid to the change the code – which sets out standards expected from ministers – to disregard international law was ‘seriously concerning’.’
Daily Telegraph, 26th October 2015
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Government accused of risking ‘disunited kingdom’ as Commons approves English votes for English laws – Independent
‘The Government was accused of risking the creation of a “disunited kingdom” after the Commons approved an historic change to give English MPs a veto over laws which affect only England.’
Independent, 22nd October 2015
Source: www.independent.co.uk
IPT rules on interception of Parliamentarians’ communications – UK Human Rights Blog
‘If parliamentarians are seen to be taking a more forensic interest in matters of surveillance in the coming weeks and months, the reason is unlikely to be purely down to the publication of the greatly anticipated surveillance legislation. Last week’s Investigatory Powers Tribunal judgment has sent ripples of discontent through both Houses of Parliament, evidenced in immediate calls for an emergency debate on the subject (scheduled to take place in the House of Commons later today).’
UK Human Rights Blog, 19th October 2015
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
Reassessing the role of parliament in law and human rights – UK Human Rights Blog
‘What is the role of parliament in the protection and realisation of the rule of law and human rights? Should there be a set of internationally agreed principles and guidelines on this issue to help parliaments develop their role? If so, what should be the content of any internationally agreed principles and guidelines? And how do we get international agreement on them? These were some of the questions posed and addressed at a recent high-level international conference held last month at Westminster. ‘
UK Human Rights Blog, 14th October 2015
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
Ex-MP Tim Yeo sues Sunday Times over ‘cash for advocacy’ claims – BBC News
‘A former Conservative MP has told a court his reputation had been “trashed” by a national newspaper which alleged he breached parliamentary codes of conduct.’
BBC News, 12th October 2015
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Speech by President of the Queen’s Bench Division: Justice for the 21st Century – Courts and Tribunals Judiciary
‘Sir Brian Leveson, President of the Queen’s Bench Division gave the Caroline Weatherill Lecture “Justice for the 21st Century” in the Isle of Man on 9 October 2015.’
Courts and Tribunals Judicairy, 12th October 2015
Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk
Joshua Folkard: Horizontal Direct Effect of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights in the English Courts – UK Constitutional Law Association
‘The Court of Appeal has recently pronounced (twice) that some provisions of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union have horizontal direct effect. These decisions provide some guidance as to the legal and constitutional status of the Charter (at least from an English perspective). The Court of Appeal in both cases held that this conclusion required the disapplication of primary UK legislation. These decisions therefore raise an issue as to the appropriate balance of power between Parliament and English judges.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 23rd September 2015
Source: www.ukconstitutionallaw.org
Strasbourg in the Age of Subsidiarity: Enough Reform to Accommodate Conservative Concerns? – UK Human Rights Blog
‘On 7th September 2015, Judge Robert Spano (of the European Court of Human Rights) spoke at a high-level international conference on “The Role of Parliaments in the Realisation and Protection of the Rule of Law and Human Rights”, organised by Murray Hunt, Legal Adviser to Parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights. This was his second public intervention in the United Kingdom since his seminal speech on “Universality or Diversity of Human Rights: Strasbourg in the Age of Subsidiarity” delivered at Oxford in 2014, the first having been covered by UK Human Rights Blog here, and built upon his earlier speeches by elaborating on four post-Brighton Declaration cases in which the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (the European Court) applied the principle of subsidiarity to find no violation of human rights, considering that the cases fell within the national margin of appreciation, after having examined evidence demonstrating that the national Parliaments had considered the human rights issues. Taken collectively, the four cases demonstrate that Strasbourg is well and truly in the age of subsidiarity, deferring to the decisions of national Parliaments, provided those Parliaments had considered the human rights implications of legislation. Whether this will satisfy Conservative Party concerns that membership of the European Convention on Human Rights is incompatible with the doctrine of Parliamentary sovereignty will be explored at the end of this post.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 21st September 2015
Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com
Ofcom asked to investigate sting on ex-foreign secretaries – The Guardian
‘Channel 4 has asked the broadcasting regulator, Ofcom, to investigate a cash-for-access sting on two former foreign secretaries after criticism over its reporting of the allegations. The parliamentary commissioner for standards cleared Sir Malcolm Rifkind and Jack Straw, and said the damage done to the former MPs could have been avoided if Channel 4’s Dispatches and the Daily Telegraph had accurately reported the exchanges they had filmed.’
The Guardian, 17th September 2015
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
