Minimum marriage age rises to 18 in England and Wales – BBC News
‘A new law increasing the legal age of marriage to 18 has come into force in England and Wales.’
BBC News, 27th February 2023
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Police should be given power to charge suspects, say senior officers in England – The Guardian
‘The police, rather than independent prosecution lawyers, should have the power to charge suspects in most cases, three senior police chiefs have said, as they warned of a deepening crisis in the justice system.’
The Guardian, 27th February 2023
Source: www.theguardian.com
Reece Murphy inquest: Police failings over missing boy – BBC News
‘Jurors at an inquest into the death of a teenager who died after taking an overdose of MDMA have found police did not take all required steps to locate him after he was reported missing.’
BBC News, 23rd February 2023
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Senior judge issues guidance on instruction of un-regulated psychologists in Family Court – Local Government Lawyer
‘The President of the Family Division has issued guidance on the instruction of un-regulated psychologists as experts in the Family Court.’
Local Government Lawyer, 23rd February 2023
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
James Robottom: The State’s Legal Duty to Hold an Independent Inquiry into the Mass Disappearance of Asylum Seeking Children in its Care – UK Constitutional Law Association
‘The disappearance of hundreds of asylum seeking children out of Home Office run hotels is an issue of acute national concern. After the Observer reported on 21 January 2023 that “[d]ozens of asylum-seeking children ha[d] been kidnapped by gangs from a Brighton hotel run by the Home Office in a pattern apparently being repeated across the south coast”, Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick informed the House of Commons that 440 children had gone missing from six hotels since July 2021. Some had been found but 200 remained missing. On 18 February the Observer further reported that children taken from Home Office hotels in Sussex had been found in 18 different police areas. On 26 January over 100 charities wrote to the Prime Minister to request an end to the “unlawful and harmful” practice of placing asylum seeking children in hotels prior to their transfer to local authority care. The charities demanded an urgent independent inquiry into the scandal.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 23rd February 2023
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org
Shamima Begum has shown up courts’ deference to this government. It’s a worrying new era – The Guardian
‘Issues related to national security have always been hard to crack, but judges are unwilling to consider human rights.’
The Guardian, 23rd February 2023
Source: www.theguardian.com
Amendments to the Treasure Act 1996 – and an ecclesiastical exemption – Law & Religion UK
‘The Government has announced forthcoming changes to the Treasure Act 1996, as amended. The Act applies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Under its terms, newly-discovered artefacts defined as “treasure” are the property of the Crown, and a person who finds an object that he or she believes to be treasure must notify the relevant authorities within 14 days. The Act currently applies to objects that are more than 300 years old and are made of precious metal or are part of a collection of valuable objects or artefacts.’
Law & Religion UK, 24th February 2023
Source: lawandreligionuk.com
Lawyer calls for change to female inheritance traditions – BBC News
‘A lawyer says she hopes for a change in attitude towards inheritance among British Asians after winning a case in which a widow secured half her late husband’s fortune.’
BBC News, 24th February 2023
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Rugby player paralysed after ‘reckless’ tackle wins case against opposing player – The Guardian
‘A rugby player who was paralysed from the waist down after a “reckless” tackle has won her high court claim against the opposing player who made the “red mist” challenge.’
The Guardian, 23rd February 2023
Source: www.theguardian.com
Drax: Legal action against power station owners dropped – BBC News
‘A prosecution against the owners of the UK’s largest power station has been dropped by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), it has been announced.’
BBC News, 23rd February 2023
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
English football’s regulator: what will it do and is it a blow for Premier League? – The Guardian
‘At last, a regulator for English football! Perhaps not a chant that’s going to echo around the terraces, but yes, the government has published its long-awaited white paper into governance of the national sport (top five divisions of the men’s game only) and proposed an independent regulator.’
The Guardian, 23rd February 2023
Source: www.theguardian.com
English law can accommodate blockchain share-dealing – Law Society’s Gazette
‘Requirements under the Companies Act are not necessarily a barrier to company shares being held and traded on a blockchain of encrypted digital code, according to a government-backed panel of experts. In its latest statement of the law relating to innovations in the crypto economy, the UK Jurisdiction Taskforce concludes that English law is well equipped to deal with digital securities such as bonds and shares.’
Law Society's Gazette, 22nd February 2023
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
New Judgment: DCM (Optical Holdings) Ltd v Commissioners for His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (Scotland) [2023] UKSC 7 – UKSC Blog
‘Under the Value Added Tax Act 1994 (the “VAT Act“), “newspapers” are “zero-rated”, meaning Value Added Tax (“VAT“) is not charged on them. The question in this case is whether, between 30 August 2010 – 4 December 2016 (the “relevant period“), zero-rating extended beyond print newspapers to digital editions of newspapers, such as editions for e-readers, tablets, smartphones and websites.’
UKSC Blog, 22nd February 2023
Source: ukscblog.com
Council cites 776-year-old law in dispute over City of London plans to move historic wholesale markets – Local Government Lawyer
‘Havering Council hopes a 776-years-old law will help it win a planning battle with the City of London Corporation.’
Local Government Lawyer, 23rd February 2023
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
Asylum backlog at record high, Home Office figures show – BBC News
‘The number of asylum seekers waiting for a decision on their case in the UK has soared to record levels, with about 166,000 people in the backlog.’
BBC News, 23rd February 2023
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Warwick student with cancer wins payout after university denied extension request – The Guardian
‘Warwick University has agreed to pay a student who is seriously ill with cancer £12,000 in damages for the “distress and inconvenience” caused by not allowing her to extend her course as a result of her health condition.’
The Guardian, 23rd February 2023
Source: www.theguardian.com
Limiting an employer’s right to dismiss on notice: Aspden v Webbs Poultry and USDAW v Tesco – by Oliver Jackson – UK Labour Law
‘It will come as a surprise to most lawyers to learn that a term may be implied into a contract that is inconsistent with an express term of that contract. Frankly, this proposition would probably surprise even the justices of the Supreme Court, who recently reaffirmed in Barton v Morris [2023] UKSC 3 (at [24], [25], [107], [165]-[167], and [221]) that the implication of such a term is prohibited.’
UK Labour Law, 22nd February 2023
Source: uklabourlawblog.com
Safe as Houses: depriving children of their liberty – Law Pod UK
‘Applications for secure accommodation or deprivation of liberty orders, for children in the UK, have increased significantly in recent years. Lucy McCann talks with Richard Ager and Clare Ciborowska about the current situation.’
Law Pod UK, 22nd February 2023
Source: audioboom.com
Serial killer fan who murdered boyfriend jailed for at least 23 years – The Guardian
‘A woman who decorated her house with pictures of serial killers and who stabbed her boyfriend to death has been jailed for at least 23 years.’
The Guardian, 22nd February 2023
Source: www.theguardian.com
Judge rules birth father should have been notified of existence of child but accepts he cannot force mother to reveal his identity – Local Government Lawyer
‘A Family Court judge has said he cannot compel a mother to disclose the identity of a toddler’s birth father, even though he should have been told of the child’s existence before adoption proceedings are completed.’
Local Government Lawyer, 23rd February 2023
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
