Dane Luo: Andy Burnham and the Constitution – The Conventions on the Appointment of the Prime Minister – UK Constitutional Law Association

Posted May 20th, 2026 in news by michael

‘Drawing on examples from nations with a Westminster system of government, I argue that historical practice shows that, as a matter of constitutional convention, a person can be appointed as Prime Minister when they are not a MP, as long as they will imminently become one. (I will describe this period as the ‘interim period’ but this should not be equated with holding office on a caretaker basis where conventions impose limits on the exercise of powers.)’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 20th May 2026

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

High Court issues key judgment on failure to serve parties on time – Local Government Lawyer

Posted May 20th, 2026 in news by michael

‘An appeal by Arun District Council against a planning inspector’s decision cannot proceed because the council failed to serve two defendants in time, the High Court has ruled, even though it did correctly serve the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 20th May 2026

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

High Court Judge raises concerns over litigants in person, AI-generated arguments and “substantial and increasing” workload of public law cases – Local Government Lawyer

Posted May 20th, 2026 in news by michael

‘In dismissing the claim (BEA, R (on the application of) v Staffordshire County Council Neutral Citation Number[2026] EWHC 1190 (Admin)) brought over the local authority’s placement of the claimant’s son with his paternal aunt, Kimblin J made a number of additional comments about AI-generated arguments, Litigants in Person and the rise in JR volumes.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 20th May 2026

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Referrals to police watchdog hit record high across England and Wales – The Independent

Posted May 20th, 2026 in news by michael

‘Data released on Wednesday [20 May] by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) shows 7,088 referrals were made in 2025-2026, marking the highest annual total since the body was established.’

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The Independent, 20th May 2026

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Professor hit with £180,000 court bill after feud with ‘gloating’ neighbour over London flat – The Independent

Posted May 20th, 2026 in news by michael

‘A university professor is facing a £180,000 court bill after his legal challenge against a neighbour, whom he accused of rendering his £680,000 London apartment “unsellable”, ended in defeat.’

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The Independent, 20th May 2026

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Rachel Reeves to protect ‘critical’ clean energy projects from legal challenges – The Guardian

Posted May 20th, 2026 in news by michael

‘Rachel Reeves is ​preparing to announce a planning shake-up ‌that would fast-track clean energy ​and infrastructure projects by curbing judicial reviews, the ​Treasury said.’

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The Guardian, 20th May 2026

Source: www.theguardian.com

Nurse to be struck off after saying Jewish patients were ‘tight with money’ – The Independent

Posted May 20th, 2026 in news by michael

‘A nurse is expected to be struck off after she was found to have made “very serious” remarks about Jewish patients being tight with money.’

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The Independent, 19th May 2026

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Adverts for DNA self-swab kits banned as misleading – BBC News

Posted May 20th, 2026 in news by michael

‘The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that Enough’s website, LinkedIn post and GoFundMe page made unproven claims about how evidence from their kits could be used in court and how many women were raped in the UK each year.’

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BBC News, 20th May 2026

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Benefit cheat caught running 10k races and doing Zumba classes – after claiming she could not walk – The Independent

Posted May 20th, 2026 in news by michael

‘A woman who claimed that she struggled to leave the house or walk was exposed as a benefit cheat after being caught on CCTV taking part in Zumba and body pump classes at the gym.’

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The Independent, 19th May 2026

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Wrongly jailed Andrew Malkinson slams ‘penny-pinching’ state as forced to cover own legal fees – The Independent

Posted May 20th, 2026 in news by michael

‘Andrew Malkinson has sharply criticised the decision to deduct up to £10,000 in legal costs from his compensation, following 17 years spent wrongly imprisoned for a rape he did not commit.’

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The Independent, 19th May 2026

Source: www.independent.co.uk

BAILII: Recent Decisions

Posted May 19th, 2026 in law reports by michael

Court of Appeal (Civil Division)

AA, R (On the Application Of) v London Borough of Waltham Forest [2026] EWCA Civ 626 (19 May 2026)

Acer Incorporated & Anor v Nokia Technologies OY [2026] EWCA Civ 604 (18 May 2026)

Kanabar v Kanabar [2026] EWCA Civ 582 (15 May 2026)

Caterpillar Property Ltd & Anor v Park Cakes Ltd [2026] EWCA Civ 575 (13 May 2026)

Court of Appeal (Criminal Division)

Summerson & Anor [2026] EWCA Crim 625 (19 May 2026)

OFM, R. v [2026] EWCA Crim 599 (15 May 2026)

Toon, R. v [2026] EWCA Crim 622 (06 May 2026)

Agwo, R. v [2026] EWCA Crim 614 (30 April 2026)

Sallis, R. v [2026] EWCA Crim 600 (30 April 2026)

Serjanaj, R. v [2026] EWCA Crim 601 (30 April 2026)

Brown, R. v [2026] EWCA Crim 596 (29 April 2026)

Hedges, R. v [2026] EWCA Crim 607 (29 April 2026)

Henry-Godwin, R. v [2026] EWCA Crim 584 (28 April 2026)

Byrd, R. v [2026] EWCA Crim 586 (24 April 2026)

Ali, R. v [2026] EWCA Crim 593 (24 April 2026)

Oluwasina, R. v [2026] EWCA Crim 594 (24 April 2026)

High Court (Administrative Court)

Bea, R (On the Application Of) v Staffordshire County Council (Rev1) [2026] EWHC 1190 (Admin) (18 May 2026)

Ismailov (No 2) V Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs [2026] EWHC 1188 (Admin) (18 May 2026)

Przybys, R (On the Application Of) v Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police [2026] EWHC 1159 (Admin) (15 May 2026)

Mudford Parish Council v Somerset Council (Rev1) [2026] EWHC 1166 (Admin) (15 May 2026)

Mew v General Dental Council [2026] EWHC 1116 (Admin) (15 May 2026)

Arun District Council v Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government & Ors [2026] EWHC 1172 (Admin) (15 May 2026)

Lowe, R (On the Application Of) v Independent Complaints and Grievance Scheme [2026] EWHC 1163 (Admin) (14 May 2026)

High Court (Chancery Division)

Jennings & Anor v Appleby [2026] EWHC 1161 (Ch) (19 May 2026)

Siem & Ors v Womble Bond Dickinson (UK) LLP [2026] EWHC 1168 (Ch) (18 May 2026)

The Secretary of State for Business And Trade v Stan [2026] EWHC 1164 (Ch) (18 May 2026)

Merck KGaA v Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC & Ors [2026] EWHC 1113 (Ch) (15 May 2026)

Henderson & Jones Ltd v Chambers & Anor (Re Priors Group Ltd) [2026] EWHC 1152 (Ch) (14 May 2026)

High Court (Commercial Court)

Asghar v Patel [2026] EWHC 396 (Comm) (15 May 2026)

Spec 1 Ltd & Ors v The Export-Import Bank of China [2026] EWHC 1162 (Comm) (15 May 2026)

High Court (King’s Bench Division)

Diageo DV Ltd v Nio SRL [2026] EWHC 1198 (Comm) (19 May 2026)

Timokhin v Timokhina [2026] EWHC 1194 (KB) (19 May 2026)

Lodhia v Twelve Trees Management Company (Bromley-By-Bow) Ltd & Ors [2026] EWHC 1177 (KB) (18 May 2026)

Dacorum Borough Council v Persons Unknown [2026] EWHC 1174 (KB) (18 May 2026)

Mannings Organisation Ltd & Anor v Manning [2026] EWHC 1160 (KB) (14 May 2026)

High Court (Technology and Construction Court)

Kyte v MclAren Automotive Ltd & Anor [2026] EWHC 1126 (TCC) (19 May 2026)

Source: www.bailii.org

Preparing for the Crime and Policing Act 2026: Expanding Corporate Criminal Liability and the Growing Exposure for UK Businesses – Garden Court Chambers

Posted May 19th, 2026 in news by sally

‘Mark Robinson of the Garden Court Crime Team explores what the Crime and Policing Act 2026 will mean for UK businesses.’

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Garden Court Chambers, 11th May 2026

Source: gardencourtchambers.co.uk

Toogood v HM Senior Coroner for Somerset: Suicide, Speculation, and the Limits of Judicial Review – Exchange Chambers

Posted May 19th, 2026 in news by sally

‘In Toogood v HM Senior Coroner for Somerset [2026] EWHC 634 (Admin), the High Court (Sweeting J) dismissed a challenge to a Coroner’s conclusion of suicide, providing a clear and practical restatement of three recurring themes in inquest law:

The post-Maughan approach to suicide determinations;
The limited role of alternative hypotheses; and
The high threshold for judicial review of evaluative findings.’

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Exchange Chambers, 11th May 2026

Source: www.exchangechambers.co.uk

Attersley v UK Insurance Limited [2026] EWCA Civ 217: fixed costs and Part 36 – Gatehouse Chambers

Posted May 19th, 2026 in news by sally

‘The Claimant was involved in a road traffic accident on 9 March 2018. On 19 March 2018, the Claimant’s solicitors submitted a CNF under the Pre-action Protocol for Low Value Personal Injury Claims in Road Traffic Accidents (“the RTA Protocol”), which stated the value of the claim was up to £10,000. On 9 April 2018, the claim exited the RTA Protocol. The Defendant later admitted liability.’

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Gatehouse Chambers, 13th May 2026

Source: gatehouselaw.co.uk

Man jailed for ‘frenzied and cowardly’ model murder – BBC News

Posted May 19th, 2026 in news by sally

‘A “remorseless killer” who carried out a “frenzied and cowardly” attack on a model before trying to “paint himself as the Good Samaritan” who had come across an injured man lying in the street has been jailed for murder.’

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BBC News, 18th May 2026

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Immigration Blog: Home Office immigration raids & challenging procedural unfairness – Garden Court Chambers

Posted May 19th, 2026 in news by sally

‘Mark Symes explores whether current Home Office immigration raids and rapid enforcement action meet principles of procedural fairness, and offers insight into the difficulties of mounting judicial review challenges.’

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Garden Court Chambers, 5th May 2026

Source: gardencourtchambers.co.uk

Parents could face bigger fines for child’s crimes under youth justice shake-up – BBC News

Posted May 19th, 2026 in news by sally

‘Parents face tougher action if their children commit a crime, under plans to overhaul the youth justice system in England and Wales.’

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BBC News, 18th May 2026

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Eiger v Ridge: A Cautionary Tale Worth £2.5 Million – Gatehouse Chambers

Posted May 19th, 2026 in news by sally

‘There is a developing body of case law in relation to project monitoring surveyors (as distinct from project managers) who are typically appointed by funders and lenders in the context of construction developments.’

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Gatehouse Chambers, 18th March 2026

Source: gatehouselaw.co.uk

High Court crypto fraud decision reflects victim focused approach – OUT-LAW.com

Posted May 19th, 2026 in news by sally

‘A recent judgment reflects a strong, victim-focused approach to crypto fraud and will provide both individuals and businesses with greater confidence in using the English courts to respond decisively to digital fraud, an expert has said.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 18th May 2026

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

Securing permission to report on a family court case involving child contact, serious domestic abuse, and national security – St John’s Chambers

Posted May 19th, 2026 in news by sally

‘Garrido J has granted permission for the media to publish information about private law children proceedings, in which a family court judge had made findings that a father, serving in the armed forces, had used ‘extreme emotional and psychological abuse of the mother over many years’, before going on to order unsupervised contact, contrary to the recommendations of the Cafcass Officer.’

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St John's Chambers, 5th May 2026

Source: www.stjohnschambers.co.uk