‘A judge has criticised ‘intended’ parents for failing to undertake sufficient due diligence when considering surrogacy – and has issued a warning for others intending to do the same.’

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Law Society Gazette, 5th October 2026

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

‘The High Court has granted the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) permission to appeal the Carter-Ruck ruling and issued a leapfrog certificate to take it straight to the Supreme Court.’

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Legal Futures, 6th October 2026

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

‘A failed asylum seeker who tried to break into the Israeli embassy in London to carry out a knife attack has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 20 years.’

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BBC News, 5th October 2026

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘An Afghan refugee who killed a dog walker and attacked two other people in a “frenzy of violence” has been given an indefinite hospital order and recommended for deportation.’

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BBC News, 5th October 2026

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘The number of children involved in care proceedings before they reach their first birthdays is at a persistently high level across England, according to experts who have published new figures.’

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BBC News, 6th October 2026

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘A prisoner took his own life after strict terrorism control measures imposed by the government had a “substantial impact” on his mental state, an inquest jury has concluded.’

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BBC News, 5th October 2026

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘His Majesty The King has approved the appointment of the Honourable Mrs Justice Morgan DBE as a Judicial Commissioner of the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) for 3 years commencing 1 October 2026. The JAC is an independent body that selects candidates for judicial office in courts and tribunals in England and Wales, and for some tribunals with a UK-wide jurisdiction.’

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Ministry of Justice, 6th October 2026

Source: www.gov.uk

‘Parliament’s Joint Committee on Human Rights (“JCHR”), made up of members of both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, has concluded that the legal framework for AI regulation is “patchy and confused”. The conclusion features in the Committee’s latest report, “Human Rights and the Regulation of AI”, following an inquiry launched last year, to investigate whether existing law and regulation sufficiently protects human rights in the face of growing use of AI (paragraph references in what follows are to the Report).’

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Doughty Street Chambers, 25th September 2026

Source: insights.doughtystreet.co.uk

‘In the news […] In other news […] In the courts’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 3rd October 2026

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

‘R (on the application of Bano) v London Borough of Waltham Forest [2026] UKSC22. Bano has its origins in the acceptance of a housing duty on 23 February 2017, concluding just over 9 years later in the supreme court. Central to the case is the question is whether the effect of refusal to accept accommodation is to automatically bring the homelessness duty to an end, or whether notification of the termination of the duty is required.’

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Nearly Legal, 1st October 2026

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk

‘The High Court has rejected a claim brought by a former US film maker against Rochdale Council over control of a grade II* listed stately home.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 2nd October 2026

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

‘The Court of Protection has cancelled six lasting powers of attorney because the certificate provider, though a member of the Society of Will Writers (SWW), was a convicted fraudster. A further 24 cases are set to be considered in light of the decision, in what were billed as test cases.’

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Legal Futures, 5th October 2026

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

‘The claimants in the rugby head injuries group litigation must make a payment on account of more than £1.5 million to the defendants who are seeking costs of over £2.8m. After a half-day hearing on Friday Mr Justice Cotter, after retiring briefly with Senior Master Cook and Master Stevens made the order in an ex-tempore judgment.’

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Law Society Gazette, 5th October 2026

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

‘Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is taking legal action against Thames Valley Police in a bid to quash search warrants which led to his arrest. The former Duke of York has been granted permission to challenge whether the force acted lawfully in the searches relating to his arrest in February.’

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The Independent, 5th October 2026

Source: www.independent.co.uk

‘A decision by the Home Office to block mothers and children in Gaza from joining their families in the UK has been quashed by a court. […] A judge in the immigration court known as the upper tribunal has found the home secretary acted unlawfully in the way the [unsafe journeys] policy was applied to two families and has quashed the decision to block them.

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The Guardian, 4th October 2026

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘A former priest who established a “cult” within the Church of England has been found guilty of raping a woman in his congregation.’

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BBC News, 2nd October 2026

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘A man has been jailed for 18 months for piloting a small boat carrying 26 other people, including six children, towards the Kent coast.’

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BBC News, 2nd October 2026

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘R (Griffiths-Fowell) v Birmingham City Council [2026] EWCA Civ 920 This Court of Appeal decision deals with the circumstances in which the main housing duty can be ended, and whether accommodation offered must be suitable for the main housing duty to be discharged by s.193(6)(d) HA 1996 (i.e. because the person has voluntarily ceased to occupy as his only or principal home accommodation which has been made available to him).’

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Nearly Legal, 4th October 2026

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk

‘Plans for some criminal trials to be heard by judge alone will be scrapped, meaning more serious cases will continue to be heard in front of a jury, keeping juries the cornerstone of British justice. This will mean the Justice Secretary can be fully focussed on fast-tracking the broader changes needed to drive down the record number of cases waiting years to be heard – fixing a crisis that is leaving too many victims in limbo before they see their perpetrator in the dock.’

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Ministry of Justice, 4th October 2026

Source: www.gov.uk