‘The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020 (“the Regulations”) contained the most draconian restrictions on the liberty of the general population ever imposed in England. They purported to create several new criminal offences (see reg. 9), including an offence of contravening a regulation that “… no person may leave the place where they are living without reasonable excuse” (see reg. 6) and an offence of contravening, without reasonable excuse, a regulation that (subject to limited exceptions) “no person may participate in a gathering in a public place of more than two people” (see reg. 7).’
UK Human Rights Blog, 24th September 2020
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
‘Commercial litigators have vented their frustration – and in some cases anger – with the disclosure pilot in the Business and Property Courts, and changes to its rules have been put forward as a result of this and other feedback.’
Litigation Futures, 24th September 2020
Source: www.litigationfutures.com
‘The CEOs of 23 retailers have co-signed a letter to Boris Johnson asking for better legal protection for shop workers who face abuse.’
BBC News, 26th September 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Last year, the Government committed itself to establishing a Commission on the Constitution, Democracy and Rights, which would consider reform of the UK’s constitutional order, including judicial review and the Human Rights Act 1998. Instead, on 30 July 2020, the Government launched an ostensibly narrower Independent Review of Administrative Law (IRAL) to examine the need for reforms of judicial review in particular. This is to be conducted by an advisory panel of experts led by Lord Faulks QC. Any options for reform put forward by the Review will be considered by the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Robert Buckland QC MP and by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Michael Gove MP. Both the report of the Review and the Government’s response will be published by the end of 2020 or shortly thereafter.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 24th September 2020
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org
‘A new, more robust chapter in English coronavirus regulations begins on Monday, with fines of up to £10,000 for people who refuse to self-isolate when asked, and enforcement including tip-offs from people who believe that others are breaching the rules.’
The Guardian, 28th September 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘When most couples start planning a wedding, they excitedly think about the day itself – what they will wear, who they will invite and of course, where they want to get married.’
Law Society's Gazette, 24th September 2020
Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk
‘Police officers detained and interviewed hundreds of thousands of vulnerable suspects last year in England and Wales in breach of mandatory safeguards, according to the body that sets standards for those who support vulnerable adults in police custody.’
The Guardian, 28th September 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘A judge has strongly criticised a London borough over its handling of the assessment of a family’s accommodation needs.’
Local Government Lawyer, 24th September 2020
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘This is a somewhat unusual appeal in the context of possession proceedings, being an appeal against a 12 month committal of the tenant to prison on two counts of contempt of court.’
Nearly Legal, 21st September 2020
Source: nearlylegal.co.uk
‘Huge controversy has already been generated over provisions in the United Kingdom Internal Market Bill granting Ministers the power to disapply the Withdrawal Agreement. Most of the debate (Elliott, Armstrong) has been focused on the potential breaches of international law. This could severely damage the reputation of the United Kingdom in the world. However, what has been relatively overlooked is that this Bill is also a flagrant attack on the Rule of Law at the UK domestic level. This remains the case even if amendments proposed by Sir Bob Neill MP (and apparently accepted by the Government) pass.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 23rd September 2020
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org
‘A children’s entertainer who raped and sexually abused young girls over a 20-year period has been jailed for life.’
BBC News, 24th September 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Some of the most vulnerable people have been left isolated and without proper access to solicitors because of the official response to the Covid-19 crisis, according to a report from the Law Society.’
Legal Futures, 25th September 2020
Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk
‘A Muslim man who worked at a country house hotel has successfully sued his employer for religious harassment after he won a bottle of Cognac in a raffle at a staff party but was given a “cheap” box of chocolates instead.’
The Guardian, 24th September 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The Overseas Operation (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill was introduced in the House of Commons in March 2020 and is due its second reading on 23 September 2020. In short, the Bill aims to limit prosecution and civil proceedings against military personnel, as well as to enable the UK government to derogate from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) during combat operations. The Bill emerges in response to what numerous Defence Secretaries have referred to as the “judicialisation of war”, a term which has been used to resist the application of the ECHR to overseas military combat operations. Despite the Bill being described as a way to protect soldiers from the “industry” of “vexatious claims” and preserve the ability of combat forces to fight wars effectively, there is every suggestion that this is really about precluding, or at least severely limiting, the accountability of the British state in its overseas military deployments.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 22nd September 2020
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org
‘One in 10 football fixtures in the 2019-20 season had an incident of hate crime in England and Wales, data gathered by the police, the FA and anti-discrimination campaigners has revealed.’
The Guardian, 24th September 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The Government is to strengthen the Modern Slavery Act 2015 to require larger local authorities and other public bodies and businesses to take action against modern slavery risks in their supply chains.’
Local Government Lawyer, 23rd September 2020
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
© Inner Temple Library 2024