Coronavirus: Priti Patel bans demonstrations during England’s lockdown – The Independent

‘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.’

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The Independent,3rd November 2020

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Covid-19 and False Imprisonment – UK Constitutional Law Association

‘The Cambridge Private Law Centre last week hosted its annual Freshfields lecture. Lord Sumption addressed us on “Government by decree—Covid-19 and the Constitution”. This lecture has received considerable media attention and already been mentioned on this blog.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 3rd November 2020

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

Covid measures will be seen as ‘monument of collective hysteria and folly’ says ex-judge – The Guardian

‘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.’

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The Guardian, 27th October 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Assessing the Home Office’s pandemic response – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted October 20th, 2020 in coronavirus, freedom of movement, government departments, immigration, news by sally

‘Earlier this year, Covid-19 threw the UK’s immigration landscape into disarray. Travel restrictions, reduced working capacity at the Home Office and temporary shutdown of third-party providers caused much uncertainty for those trapped overseas and those in the UK. Added to this were the loss of jobs, salary reductions and individuals no longer being able to meet the requirements of their stay. Below we consider some of the key measures the Home Office introduced over this period for overseas nationals with time-limited restrictions in the UK.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 19th October 2020

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

New Brexit law will allow vulnerable EU citizens to apply late to stay in UK – The Guardian

‘The government is to fast-track legislation it believes will stop vulnerable EU citizens becoming Windrush-type victims of Brexit, it has emerged.’

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The Guardian, 15th October 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Coronavirus: Students fined £200 over party at university halls – The Independent

‘Two students have been fined £200 each following an illegal party in a university’s halls of residence, West Midlands Police has said.’

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The Independent, 3rd October 2020

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Society alarmed by Covid-19 exemption for lawyers – Law Society’s Gazette

‘The Law Society has raised concerns about latest coronavirus regulations which allow lawyers to break self-isolation rules.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 2nd October 2020

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Why Coronavirus Curbs On Our Liberty Need Better Scrutiny – Each Other

‘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”.’

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Each Other, 25th September 2020

Source: eachother.org.uk

Were the March 2020 lockdown restrictions lawfully imposed? (Part 1) — Emmet Coldrick – UK Human Rights Blog

‘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).’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 24th September 2020

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

New Covid fines of up to £10,000 come into force in England – The Guardian

‘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.’

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The Guardian, 28th September 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Family lawyers “losing connection” with colleagues since lockdown – Legal Futures

‘Family law specialist are feeling more isolated and less connected to their peers and colleagues within the legal community since the UK went into lockdown, a survey of Resolution members has found.’

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Legal Futures, 23rd September 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Parliament surrendered role over Covid emergency laws, says Lady Hale – The Guardian

‘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.’

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The Guardian, 20th September 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Coronavirus: Illegal house party host fined £10k apologises – BBC News

Posted September 14th, 2020 in coronavirus, enforcement, fines, freedom of movement, news, police, proportionality by tracey

‘A student who was fined £10,000 for an illegal house party of more than 50 people has apologised.’

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BBC News, 13th September 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Quarantined legal professionals should not be permitted to attend court, says Law Society – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Law Society of England and Wales has warned that legal professionals should not break quarantine to attend hearings and tribunals despite government guidance that lawyers will be allowed to break the mandatory self-isolation period to attend court or tribunal hearings.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 21st August 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Law Society and Bar Council at odds over quarantine exemption – Legal Futures

Posted August 24th, 2020 in barristers, coronavirus, courts, freedom of movement, Law Society, news, trials by sally

‘The Law Society has spoken out against a government clarification sought by Bar Council that means anyone self-isolating after returning from abroad can break quarantine to attend court.’

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Legal Futures, 21st August 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Police crack down on illegal raves ahead of introduction of £10k fine – The Guardian

Posted August 24th, 2020 in coronavirus, fines, freedom of movement, news, police, public order by sally

‘Fines of up to £10,000 for those organising illegal raves in England will come into force on Friday following another weekend of unlawful gatherings across the country.’

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The Guardian, 23rd August 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

New immigration system – key points for the life sciences and technology sectors – Technology Law Update

Posted August 11th, 2020 in brexit, EC law, freedom of movement, immigration, news, visas by sally

‘The Government has published further details about the new immigration system that is due to be implemented from 1 January 2021. The Further Details statement builds on the policy statement that was issued in February 2020. European freedom of movement will end on 31 December 2020 and the new system will apply to all European and non-European applicants.’

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Technology Law Update, 10th August 2020

Source: www.technology-law-blog.co.uk

Regulation 33 certification: Court of Appeal quashes refusal of interim relief to Portuguese national – EIN Blog

Posted July 30th, 2020 in deportation, EC law, freedom of movement, news, proportionality by sally

‘R (Mendes) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2020] EWCA Civ 924 (17 July 2020): The only target of this appeal was Murray J’s order refusing interim relief in the form of a mandatory order requiring the Home Office to facilitate the return of Mr Mendes to the UK pending determination of the judicial review challenge of the certification of his case under regulation 33 of the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2016 that his removal pending any appeal would not be in breach of his human rights. The Court of Appeal granted permission to appeal, allowed the appeal, quashed the order of Murray J refusing the earlier application for interim relief in R (Mendes) v SSHD [2019] EWHC 2233 (Admin), and remitted the application to the Administrative Court for re-consideration and re-determination. A Portuguese national and an EU citizen, Mr Mendes, was born in 2000 and settled in the UK with his family in 2013 or 2014. But from 2015 to 2018, he was convicted of numerous criminal offences, including, on 6 March 2018, six robberies and he was sentenced to a 12-month detention and training order. While serving his custodial part of that sentence (and while aged only 17 years) the Home Office served notice of liability to deportation. Representations made by him were rejected. Instead, a deportation order was made on his eighteenth birthday on 17 September 2018. In the decision letter, the decision-maker certified under regulation 33, that Mr Mendes’s removal pending any appeal would not be in breach of his human rights.’

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EIN Blog, 28th July 2020

Source: www.ein.org.uk

Coronavirus: Police issue just one fine for travel quarantine breach, figures show – The Independent

‘Police have fined just one person over breaching quarantine rules for people arriving from foreign countries, new figures for England and Wales show.’

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The Independent, 28th July 2020

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Lockdown challenge — permission refused – UK Human Rights Blog

‘Mr Justice Lewis has refused permission to bring a judicial review in what is arguably the most comprehensive and wide-reaching challenge brought to date to the legality of the lockdown Regulations and the decision to stop providing education on school premises (save for the children of key workers) in R (Dolan and Ors) v Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and Secretary of State for Education [2020] EWHC 1786 (Admin).’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 7th July 2020

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com