‘A ban on prescribing puberty blockers to children with gender dysphoria in England, Scotland and Wales was lawful, a high court judge has ruled.’
The Guardian, 29th July 2024
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The failures and weaknesses in the UK’s pandemic preparations are expected to be laid out in the first report published by the Covid inquiry.’
BBC News, 18th July 2024
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Later today the House of Commons will consider the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (Entry to Venues and events) (England) Regulations 2021, which introduce a system mandating the use of COVID passes (or, in formal parlance, “COVID status certifications”). These Regulations are being made using the emergency provisions contained in s. 45R of the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 14th December 2021
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org
‘The Constitution Unit has jointly written a briefing to all MPs – summarised in a letter in the Times published on 21 April 2021 – with the Hansard Society, Public Law Project and Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law warning that parliamentary accountability and control over decisions have diminished to a degree that would have been unthinkable before COVID-19. Individual MPs have also been shut out of participation, and the vast majority of Commons votes are now held by party whips.’
UCL Constitution Unit, 21st April 2021
Source: www.ucl.ac.uk
‘The British government’s former top lawyer has called for urgent changes to the way coronavirus laws are made after a year without any “meaningful parliamentary debate or scrutiny”.’
The Independent, 20th April 2021
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘Draconian lockdown laws imposed one year ago have been extended for a further six months, despite a major Tory revolt.
The Coronavirus Act – granting powers over everything from school closures and public gatherings to the detention of infected people – was renewed by MPs, by 484 votes to 76.’
The Independent, 25th March 2021
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘A year since the Coronavirus Act 2020 received Royal Assent, Parliament will today (25 March 2021) once more debate the Coronavirus Act 2020 and its effects, effectiveness, and continuation. The Coronavirus Act 2020 is a touchpoint in the legal and regulatory response to the pandemic.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 25th March 2021
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org
‘As the pandemic moves into its second year, the effects on Parliaments, not only as legislating and accountability bodies but as institutions, are becoming more apparent. What began as a series of emergency measures imposed by government, generally supported by all parties, has given way to longer term concerns regarding government accountability and the sidelining of Parliament, along with some consideration and re-imagining of post-pandemic Parliaments.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 8th March 2021
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org
‘The Secretary of State for Health, Matt Hancock, announced in Parliament on Tuesday 9th February that those returning from ‘red list’ countries who fail to disclose that fact could receive a 10-year prison sentence following conviction (see The Telegraph).’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 24th February 2021
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org
‘Covid legislation in England allows patients in first 10 weeks of pregnancy to take pills at home.’
The Guardian, 18th February 2021
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Public trust in the law is at risk if ministers continue to rush through hundreds of new rules and legislation, bypassing parliament and leaving citizens, businesses and police in the dark, the former head of the government’s legal department has said.’
The Guardian, 18th February 2021
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The appellants challenged Lockdown regulations made in response to the Covid-19 pandemic on 26 March 2020. Their argument was that the regulations imposed sweeping restrictions on civil liberties which were unprecedented and were unlawful on three grounds. First, the Government had no power under the legislation they used to make the regulations, namely the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984, as amended by the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (“the 1984 Act”). Secondly, they were unlawful under ordinary public law principles (failing to take account of relevant considerations, fettering of discretion); and thirdly they violated a number of the Convention rights which are guaranteed in domestic law under the Human Rights Act 1998 (“HRA”). Although the regulations were amended on several occasions and have since been repealed, the appellants contended that it remained important that the legal issues which arose should be authoritatively determined in the public interest.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 3rd December 2020
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
‘Police forces can resume handing out £10,000 fines for breaches of coronavirus regulations, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) has said following discussions with the government.’
The Guardian, 17th November 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘People travelling abroad for the purpose of assisted dying will not be breaking coronavirus travel rules, the health secretary has said.’
BBC News, 5th November 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘The high court has rejected a legal bid to challenge a decision not to investigate Dominic Cummings’s journey from London to Durham at the height of the first coronavirus lockdown. Max Hill, the director of public prosecutions, said any decision to investigate Cummings must be made by the police. He did not have the power to interfere.’
The Guardian, 3rd November 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Demonstrations of more than two people are to be banned during the month-long lockdown in England, after ministers removed an exemption that has allowed protests to take place in recent months.’
The Independent,3rd November 2020
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘The government has deliberately stoked fear over coronavirus while behaving like an authoritarian regime relying on police state tactics, according to the former supreme court justice Jonathan Sumption.’
The Guardian, 27th October 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Two students have been fined £200 each following an illegal party in a university’s halls of residence, West Midlands Police has said.’
The Independent, 3rd October 2020
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘An east London takeaway has been fined £1,000 for serving a burger four minutes after the 10pm curfew.’
BBC News, 5th October 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘In recent months there have been growing media reports of anti-lockdown protests, supported by conspiracy theorists, in which demonstrators have made bizarre and outlandish claims. The conspiracies – unsupported by scientific evidence – are often couched in terms of “civil liberties” and “freedoms”.’
Each Other, 25th September 2020
Source: eachother.org.uk
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