The assessment of Scope 3 downstream emissions from oil and gas production has been the subject of litigation in the United Kingdom for many years with environmental campaigners calling for its inclusion into the environmental impact assessment, and the authorities and the industry maintaining that these emissions are outside the scope of the assessment. The dispute appears to have been resolved by the UK Supreme Court decision in Finch v Surrey County Council [2024] UKSC 20, which established that emissions resulting from burning the produced oil and gas – wherever that takes place – must be considered in the environmental impact assessment. Together with the Labour Government’s platform of no new oil and gas exploration, the decision delivered hope to climate campaigners and despair to the oil and gas industry. This analysis reviews the Finch decision with a focus on its legal significance and practical implications for the UK energy sector and beyond.

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Journal of Environmental Law, 17th June 2025

Source: academic.oup.com

‘This is the first in a three-part analysis of R (ALR and others) v Chancellor of the Exchequer [2025] EWHC 1467 (Admin). In this post, I cover the constitutional aspects of the judgment, in particular its Annex B on parliamentary privilege and Article IX of the Bill of Rights. The second and third posts in this series will feature the ECHR and implications for Northern Ireland under EU law.’

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Administrative Court Blog, 19th June 2025

Source: administrativecourtblog.wordpress.com

‘Former health secretary Sir Jeremy Hunt has called for an “urgent re-examination” of the Lucy Letby case after “serious and credible” questions were raised by experts.’

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BBC News, 18th June 2025

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘A serial rapist feared to be one of the worst sexual offenders in British history has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 24 years for drugging and raping 10 women in the UK and China.’

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The Guardian, 19th June 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘Universities in England will no longer be able to enforce blanket bans on student protests under sweeping new guidance that urges a “very strong” approach to permitting lawful speech on campus.’

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The Guardian, 19th June 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘Whether you consider yourself neurodiverse, you are the loved one of someone who is neurodiverse or you want to support a neurodivergent individual in family proceedings, this blog provides a summary of the best practice which should be used by family lawyers to help neurodivergent individuals navigate the family legal system.’

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Kingsley Napley Family Law Blog, 19th June 2025

Source: www.kingsleynapley.co.uk

‘Strangulation in pornography will be banned after a review warned violent depictions have effectively established choking as a “sexual norm”.’

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The Independent, 19th June 2025

Source: www.independent.co.uk

‘The High Court has rejected a claim that a girl should not have been permanently excluded from school because her Article 4 ECHR rights were infringed.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 18th June 2025

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

‘British MPs have voted to decriminalise abortion, marking the biggest step forward in reproductive rights in almost 60 years.’

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The Guardian, 17th June 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘This article demonstrates how historical and longitudinal inquiry – including a deep dive into archival sources – can add to our understanding of the processes of change and how they happen within the policing organisation. Using frameworks adapted from Feminist Institutionalism, it identifies variations in the type and pace of change across time, shows that trajectories were uneven and not one way, and explains how historical actors have operated within (and interacted with) institutional and contextual parameters in gendered ways and with gendering effects. Focusing on the debates surrounding the introduction, implementation and mobilisation of the 1975 Sex Discrimination Act (and equivalent legislation for Northern Ireland), it analyses the strategies and tools used by exogenous actors, relationships with internal actors, and capacity to produce internal change. Concentrating on the 1970s–1990s, it sets this within the broader trajectory of women’s appointment as police officers from 1915, the layering in of the separate structure of Policewomen’s Departments, and the work of senior female officers and members of the inspectorate in effecting slow, gradualist and pragmatic expansion of numbers and remit prior to the 1970s.’

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Policing and Society, 18th June 2025

Source: www.tandfonline.com

‘A woman who was sexually abused as a child is suing a police force after an officer revealed her identity to a member of the public.’

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BBC News, 19th June 2025

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘Refusing to give a job to Chinese and Russian people in companies that deal with issues of national security and require security clearance is not racist, an employment tribunal has ruled.’

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The Guardian, 18th June 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘The UK’s Justice Secretary has promised domestic legislation and called for wider ECHR reform because, she says, the application of human rights is now ‘out of step with common sense’. What does this tell us about the government’s broader commitment to human rights in the face of political pressure and shifting public opinion?’

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Public Law for Everyone, 18th June 2025

Source: publiclawforeveryone.com

‘In ALR and others v Chancellor of the Exchequer [2025] EWHC 1467 (Admin), the High Court has dismissed a challenge against the government’s manifesto policy of adding VAT to private school fees. The claimants were a group of students, parents, and schools. Some of the students required specific schooling because of (inter alia) special educational needs and religious convictions; all claimants sought a declaration that the VAT addition was incompatible with the European Convention of Human Rights. Specifically, they argued that imposing VAT was incompatible with Article 2 Protocol 1 (right to education) and 14 (protection from discrimination).’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 18th June 2025

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

‘A mother facing political persecution in her native African country was forced to wait at Heathrow airport for 12 hours before a Home Office attempt to deport her to the Gambia was delayed by a judge.’

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The Independent, 18th June 2025

Source: www.independent.co.uk

‘The rollout of synthetic pepper spray for use to incapacitate jailed children is “wholly irresponsible” while black and minority prisoners are more likely to be subjected to force than white inmates, a watchdog has said.’

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The Guardian, 18th June 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘We have an interesting and varied array of articles in this edition ranging from Rebecca Drake’s analysis of Patarkatsishvili v Woodward-Fisher [2025] EWHC 265 covering moths, fraudulent misrepresentation and caveat emptor, to Stephen Tromans KC taking a look at Frack Free Balcombe Residents’ Association v Secretary of State for Housing [2025] EWCA Civ 495 and the importance of identifying the decision under challenge. Richard Harwood KC has also provided an overview of the range of 39 Essex podcasts covering hot topics relevant to Planning, Environment and Property practitioners.’

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39 Essex Chambers, 13th June 2025

Source: www.39essex.com

‘A recently published judgment, Louise Tickle v The Father & Ors [2025] EWFC 160 is helpful in reaffirming journalists’ rights to protect the confidentiality of their sources, specifically in the context of a Family Court case.’

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Transparency Project, 17th June 2025

Source: transparencyproject.org.uk

‘A student “would not have died” if her care and treatment had not been delayed, an inquest has found.’

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BBC News, 17th June 2025

Source: www.bbc.co.uk