‘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
‘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
‘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
‘People in England who refuse to self-isolate when required to do so will face fines of up to £10,000 under an emergency “carrot and stick” plan to control the second wave of Covid-19 sweeping the country.’
The Guardian, 20th September 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The former president of the supreme court says parliament “surrendered” its role over emergency laws restricting freedoms amid the coronavirus pandemic, in an intervention expected to embolden MPs threatening a Commons revolt.’
The Guardian, 20th September 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Police have fined just one person over breaching quarantine rules for people arriving from foreign countries, new figures for England and Wales show.’
The Independent, 28th July 2020
Source: www.independent.co.uk
‘In responding to the Covid-19 pandemic, governments around the world have imposed unprecedented “lockdowns”. They decided, on the advice of public health officials and experts, that this was necessary in order to at least “flatten the curve” of escalating numbers of infections and thus prevent health systems being overwhelmed. This has left many governments scrambling to find the necessary legal powers.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 23rd July 2020
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org
‘Face coverings are now compulsory for customers in shops in England, after new coronavirus rules came into force within 12 hours of the government issuing guidance on the change.’
BBC News, 24th July 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘Ordinary legislation is different in its content and method of enactment from emergency legislation. But the risk is that the longer the Covid-19 pandemic continues, the less distinct these two types of law become, and that emergency legislation becomes the new normal. The structural solution proposed to this problem is “social distancing” of emergency legislation – that emergency laws are kept separate and distinct from ordinary laws. The more we conceive of them as abnormal, the more we maintain a gap between them and our ordinary laws, the easier it will be to dump emergency laws when the pandemic is over, and the less chance they will be used for illegitimate purposes.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 10th July 2020
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org
‘The government has published its local lockdown rules for Leicester, which will see most businesses shutting their doors once again.’
The Guardian, 3rd July 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘The government’s lockdown, which has closed schools, premises and companies while limiting free movement, is the “most sweeping and far-reaching” restriction on fundamental rights since the second world war, the high court has been told.’
The Guardian, 2nd July 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘Who decides whether my area needs to go into local lockdown? How will it be enforced? What is being done to protect the most vulnerable? These are a few of the questions on people’s minds after England’s first local lockdown came into force this week.’
Each Other, 3rd July 2020
Source: eachother.org.uk
‘In March 2020, the government introduced a set of restrictions to ‘lockdown’ the UK in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the central purpose of which is to protect public health by both containing the rate of infection and protecting the NHS’ capacity to treat a potential influx of COVID-19 patients. As part of our ongoing research on Law and Compliance during COVID-19, we have now undertaken two public opinion surveys to better understand public attitudes to the lockdown. We want to understand more about how people understand the rules, if they see themselves as compliant, what drives compliance, and how the rules relate to ordinary perceptions of rights.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 25th June 2020
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org
‘The position in relation to cross-border travel between England and Wales has caused confusion in recent weeks. It has been subject to posts from UKHR readers and there have been news articles showing that many people have been entering Wales from England to access beauty spots, unaware that there are different regulations governing the two countries. This post will attempt to clarify the current position.’
UK Human Right Blog, 26th June 2020
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
‘As many Britons bask in a summer heatwave, Kylie Neuhaus will remain housebound for the next week or else she could face a fine of up to £1,000.’
Each Other, 24th June 2020
Source: eachother.org.uk
‘Police enforcing the coronavirus lockdown in England and Wales were more than six times more likely to issue fines to black, Asian and minority ethnic people than white people, figures show.’
The Guardian, 16th June 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘A judicial review is being sought over the failure of the director of public prosecutions, Max Hill, to investigate Dominic Cummings for alleged breaches of the coronavirus lockdown rules.’
The Guardian, 16th June 2020
Source: www.theguardian.com
‘More than 17,000 fines for alleged breaches of coronavirus lockdown laws have been issued in England and Wales.’
BBC News, 11th June 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘The concept of executive dominance should be split into two: natural and excessive executive dominance. Executive dominance is the executive’s power to control, impede or perform the role of another branch of the constitution. The UK constitution lacks a clear-cut distinction between the three organs of the state and has evolved to achieve a balance between the three branches. The relationship between and the responsibilities of the executive and legislature are overlapping. In this evolved constitutional setup, natural executive dominance is necessary for the executive to carry out its constitutional role and the UK’s constitution to operate efficiently. Natural dominance is a consequence of the working of the UK constitution.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 9th June 2020
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org
‘1. Knowing Your R’s from Your Elbow: Wrongful Convictions in the Time of Coronavirus – Arthur Kendrick & Tom Parker
2. “Repugnant to Ordinary Notions of Fairness”? The Burden of Proof in the ‘Leaving Home’ Offence – Catherine Rose
3. Beyond the Emergency Legislation: Offences of Deliberate Infection – Michael Haggar
4. To Derogate or Not to Derogate: Are the Lockdown Restrictions Compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights? – Nadeem Holland
5. Landlord and Tenant Rights in the Pandemic – Karen Reid
6. Immigration Appeals in the Age of Corona – Tom Wilding’
The 36 Group, 2nd June 2020
Source: 36group.co.uk
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