‘The Court of Appeal has handed a significant judgment in, from what I can tell, the first appellate decision overturning a first instance finding that the s.31(2A) SCA 1981 “no substantial difference” test was met. The case is R (Hippolyte) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2025] EWCA Civ 1493. The judgment confirms the central importance of adducing evidence (normally a witness statement) for a public authority to satisfy the no substantial difference test, and the fact that the courts are less likely to find the test met in respect of some legal errors as compared to others.’

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Administrative Court Blog, 21st November 2025

Source: administrativecourtblog.wordpress.com

‘The anti-terrorism Prevent programme risks being overwhelmed because of the government’s ban on Palestine Action and could lead to people being wrongly criminalised, a member of the Home Office’s homeland security group has warned.’

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The Guardian, 23rd November 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘This was a County Court appeal of a first instance possession order on the basis of a section 21 notice. Ms Rainford had a “starter tenancy” from Paragon for an initial 12 month term, after which it would become an assured tenancy. Paragon had extended this “probationary period” for a further 6 month fixed term, which was to expire on 25 December 2021. On 5 August 2021, Paragon had served a section 21 notice on Ms R, requiring her to leave on 5 December 2021 (four months notice was required due to Coronavirus regs at the time). Possession proceedings were issued on 25 January 2022 via the accelerated procedure.’

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Nearly Legal, 23rd November 2025

Source: nearlylegal.co.uk

‘A man has been jailed for life with a minimum of 27 years for murdering his ex-wife at their son’s grave on their late child’s birthday.’

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The Guardian, 21st November 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘A solicitor has failed in his appeal against a rebuke imposed by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) for failing to comply with court costs orders.’

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Legal Futures, 24th November 2025

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

‘The case of a woman who was denied indefinite leave to remain in the UK even though her father and brothers were granted the status under the Windrush scheme must be reconsidered by the Home Office, the court of appeal has said.’

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The Guardian, 21st November 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘In Boundary Fares [2025] CAT 64 the Tribunal dismissed Mr Gutmann’s claims that rail companies had abused their dominant positions by failing to make boundary fares sufficiently available or promote awareness of them. The decision contains important analysis about the overlap of consumer and competition law, but the reasoning is nuanced and it does not shut the door on similar claims in future. There are also practical lessons about the need for class representatives to put their best foot forward in evidence, and options for defendants if they don’t do so.’

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Competition Bulletin, 21st November 2025

Source: competitionbulletin.com

‘The parents of a nine-month-old baby who died after choking at nursery say after four years of “unimaginable pain, perseverance and emotional endurance” they are glad to have reached a financial settlement.’

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BBC News, 20th November 2025

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘The House of Lords Constitution Committee’s new report on the rule of law provides an excellent overview of the concept and of the many challenges it finds itself under in the UK today. But the report’s focus on successive governments’ acts of constitutional negligence and recklessness that present challenges for the rule of law obscures a deeper, more existential question: namely, whether the UK constitution could withstand the sort of systemic constitutional vandalism that other democracies are experiencing today at the hands of populist and authoritarian regimes.’

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Public Law for Everyone, 20th November 2025

Source: publiclawforeveryone.com

In Smith & Anor v Manchester City Council [2025] EWHC 2987 (KB) the claimants, a married couple with strong evangelical Christian beliefs, wanted to foster children; however, their application did not progress beyond the first stage of the Council’s suitability assessment. One reason was that the social workers examining it concluded that they would find it “quite difficult to be proactive in promoting a diverse view of the world” [1]. They were particularly concerned about the claimants’ belief that homosexuality and abortion were wrong and their gender-critical views, and the possibility that they might express such views to any children entrusted to their care [2]. The couple took proceedings in the Manchester County Court claiming remedies under the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Equality Act 2010, but were unsuccessful [3 & 4], and appealed.

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Law & Religion UK, 21st November 2025

Source: lawandreligionuk.com

‘Belfast- based libel lawyer Paul Tweed is reportedly preparing a group action in the UK against technology providers (including OpenAI, Meta, Google, and Amazon) alleging that their AI chatbots and other AI-generated content breach defamation and privacy laws. The 2013 Defamation Act provides for certain protection for internet intermediaries —specifically the statutory defences found in Section 5. Under this section operators of websites hosting user-generated content may enjoy immunity from suit when they comply with regulations after being notified of defamatory material. Social media platforms or hosts are generally not liable under UK law unless they have knowledge, control, or refuse to act upon notice of defamatory content. Claims must typically be directed at the original author, and intermediary platform liability arises mainly if the author is unidentifiable or unreachable.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 19th November 2025

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

‘The legal sector of the future “may look very different to the one we know today”, with further regulatory reform needed to take advantage of the lawtech revolution, a report for the Ministry of Justice has said.’

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Legal Futures, 21st November 2025

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

‘The former police officer and convicted sex offender David Carrick has been handed a 37th life sentence at the Old Bailey with a minimum of 30 years for molesting a 12-year-old girl and raping a former partner.’

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The Guardian, 20th November 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘A personal trainer has revealed women’s activewear brand Sweaty Betty offered her a settlement of £4,000 over a disputed slogan if she agreed not to further challenge the firm’s use of it, and agreed to keep the deal confidential.’

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BBC News, 21st November 2025

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘The chief constable of Northamptonshire police has been fined £50,000 for contempt of court, with his force condemned by three senior judges.’

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The Guardian, 20th November 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘The central issue in this case relates to the claimant’s application for Bereavement Support Payments (BSP) following the death of his wife. Under the terms of the Pensions Act 2014, BSP will only be paid to a surviving partner if a so-called “contribution condition” is met. This means, in effect, that the deceased partner needs to have contributed to National Insurance payments for at least one tax year during their working life. The claimant’s wife did not meet this condition – she was severely disabled and could not work during the relevant period. The claimant therefore did not qualify for BSP.’

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Administrative Court Blog, 20th November 2025

Source: administrativecourtblog.wordpress.com

‘A fully digitised collection of the records of the Nuremberg trials is being launched online to mark the 80th anniversary of the start of the groundbreaking legal effort to bring Nazi leaders to justice.’

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The Guardian, 20th November 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com

‘Criminals will be stopped from “gaming the system” by choosing trial by jury in order to increase the chances of proceedings collapsing, the courts minister has said, promising to enact radical changes to limit jury trials by the next election.’

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The Guardian, 20th November 2025

Source: www.theguardian.com