Government breaching human rights commitments under UN racism treaty, report warns – The Independent

‘The government is in breach of a UN treaty designed to eradicate racial discrimination, a new report has warned. Research by the Runnymede Trust said that minority ethnic groups face sustained disparities across health, the criminal justice system, education, employment and immigration in England.’

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The Independent, 14th July 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Benefit death reviews ‘shrouded in secrecy’ – BBC News

Posted July 14th, 2021 in benefits, government departments, inquests, inquiries, news, statistics by tracey

‘Cases where a person claiming benefits died or came to serious harm have now prompted 268 internal reviews since 2012, it can be revealed. The Department for Work & Pensions holds reviews when it is alleged its actions had a negative impact, or when named at an inquest.’

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BBC News, 14th July 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Knife Crime Prevention Orders begin in London – Home Office

‘Court orders preventing young people from carrying knives and becoming embroiled in serious violence are now being piloted in London, Home Secretary Priti Patel has announced.’

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Home Office, 7th July 2021

Source: www.gov.uk

Home Office forced to pay out £9.3m in compensation for over 300 cases of unlawful detention last year – The Independent

‘The Home Office was forced to pay out a record in compensation for wrongful detention under immigration powers last year.’

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The Independent, 10th July 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Home Office ‘acting unlawfully’ in rush to deport asylum seekers – The Guardian

‘Hundreds of people arriving in England in small boats are being immediately detained in immigration removal centres, raising fears of a new, secret Home Office policy to deport them without their asylum claims being properly considered.’

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The Guardian, 11th July 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Fijian-born soldiers given right to live in UK despite legal battle loss – The Guardian

Posted July 12th, 2021 in armed forces, colonies, Fiji, government departments, immigration, news, visas by tracey

‘A group of Fijian-born soldiers who sued the government after being classified as illegal immigrants have been granted leave to remain in the UK, despite losing their legal battle against the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Home Office.’

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The Guardian, 11th July 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Legal challenge over ministers’ private email use – BBC News

‘The government is facing a legal challenge over the use of private email accounts and WhatsApp by ministers and senior officials.’

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BBC News, 9th July 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Police bill risks criminalising homeless people, warn UK charities – The Guardian

‘Leading homelessness charities have made an unprecedented joint plea to UK ministers to reconsider the police and crime bill, warning it could in effect criminalise large numbers of people simply for being homeless.’

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The Guardian, 8th July 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Woman with Down’s syndrome takes Sajid Javid to court over abortion law – The Guardian

‘Allowing pregnancy terminations up to birth if the foetus has Down’s syndrome is discriminatory and stigmatises disabled people, the high court has heard.’

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The Guardian, 6th July 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

“Powerful reasons” doctrine is no longer good law – EIN Blog

‘As to the seven year rule saga, the Court of Appeal has held that in a situation where a child whose parents had no entitlement to leave to remain in the UK applied for leave to remain pursuant to paragraph 276ADE(1)(iv) of the Immigration Rules on the basis that they had seven years’ continuous residence and it would not be reasonable to expect them to leave, the starting point is that it would be reasonable to expect them to leave with their parents. Overstayers “NA” and “SB” were a married couple and were Bangladeshi nationals whose children “YS” and “YA” were born in the UK. The family appealed against a decision of the Upper Tribunal upholding the SSHD’s refusal of their application for leave to remain in the UK. In April 2018 the family applied for leave to remain. YS had made his claim under paragraph 276ADE(1)(iv) on the basis that he had lived continuously in the UK for at least seven years and it would not be reasonable to expect him to leave. His parents and brother had no entitlement to remain under the rules but contended that their removal would interfere with their rights pursuant to article 8 of the ECHR. The decision-maker refused all four applications. In May 2019, FTTJ Bart-Smith dismissed the appeals and UTJ Stephen Smith subsequently found an error of law in the FTT’s decision but re-made it by again dismissing the appeal in November 2019.’

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EIN Blog, 6th July 2021

Source: www.ein.org.uk

UK’s Environment Agency faces legal fight over landfill fumes – The Guardian

Posted July 7th, 2021 in environmental health, government departments, health, news, waste by sally

‘A five-year-old boy from Staffordshire has begun legal action against the Environment Agency over fumes from a landfill site that a medical expert has said is shortening his life expectancy.’

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The Guardian, 6th July 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Good Law Project’s PPE claim fails after service blunder – Law Society’s Gazette

‘High-profile legal campaigners have been dealt a blow in their latest challenge to the government – after correctly serving the right papers a day too late.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 5th July 2021

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

New Elections Bill to ‘protect democracy,’ says government – BBC News

Posted July 6th, 2021 in bills, elections, government departments, identification, news by sally

‘Controversial plans to require voters to show photo ID at polling stations have been introduced in Parliament.’

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BBC News, 5th July 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

A hostile environment risks undermining the jab – EIN Blog

Posted July 6th, 2021 in coronavirus, government departments, immigration, news, vaccination by sally

‘The UK government’s hostile environment policy introduced by Theresa May in May 2012 may undermine what is otherwise a successful Covid vaccination programme. This policy designed to make life so unbearable that “unwelcome migrants” would simply be forced to pack their bags and leave because they cannot access employment, healthcare, accommodation etc. could potentially leave unidentifiable swathes of people unable to access the Covid jab.’

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EIN Blog, 5th June 2021

Source: www.ein.org.uk

Government commission ignored evidence of NHS racism, says British Medical Association – The Independent

‘The British Medical Association has said the highly-contested Sewell report “ignored well-documented” evidence of structural racism. The professional body for doctors refuted the report’s overall findings and said the government-appointed Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities (CRED) missed opportunities to identify effective solutions to tackling racial inequality.’

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The Independent, 1st July 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Jeremy Heywood’s widow questions Greensill inquiry chief’s independence – The Guardian

‘The widow of the man who was the UK’s top civil servant during the early years of the Greensill lobbying scandal has raised concerns over the independence of the official appointed by Boris Johnson to run an inquiry into the affair.’

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The Guardian, 1st July 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

All about images: privacy, visuocentrism, and the Hancock affair – City Law Forum

‘On Friday 25 June 2021, British tabloid The Sun published pictures of the UK Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, kissing Gina Coladangelo in his office at the Department of Health. These pictures were, it seems, captured by a CCTV camera in the office and leaked by person(s) unknown to the newspaper. The pictures were soon joined on The Sun’s website by a video clip (seemingly from the same camera). The clip shows Hancock and Coladangelo in what might be described as a passionate embrace. The footage lasts just over one minute and remains online, including on The Sun’s Youtube channel.’

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City Law Forum, 30th June 2021

Source: blogs.city.ac.uk

Dove v HM Coroner for Teesside and Hartlepool [2021] EWHC 1738 (Admin) – Inquests and Inquiries Law Blog

‘In this article, Richard Ive discusses the case of Dove v HM Coroner for Teesside and Hartlepool [2021] EWHC 1738 (Admin), which raises important questions relating to Article 2 (the right to life). On 11 June 2021, the Administrative Court heard procedural arguments concerning a late application by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to join, as an interested party, a claim pursuant to the Coroners Act 1988 s.13 for a further inquest into the death of a highly vulnerable woman who took her own life shortly after all her Department of Work and Pensions (“DWP”) benefits were stopped. The Secretary of State’s application was successful, providing her with the opportunity to make submissions at the full hearing heard by the Divisional Court on 22 June 2021.’

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Inquests and Inquiries Law Blog, 29th June 2021

Source: inquestsandinquirieslawblog.com

Supreme Court to hear UK challenge to two Holyrood bills – BBC News

‘The Scottish and UK governments are to face off at the Supreme Court over whether two bills passed by MSPs are within Holyrood’s powers.’

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BBC News, 28th June 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Secret Justice – The Insiders’ View – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted June 28th, 2021 in barristers, closed material, delay, government departments, human rights, news by tracey

‘A collective submission made by special advocates (security-cleared barristers who appear in secret proceedings) has been cleared for publication. This document is a response to the review being performed by Sir Duncan Ouseley, looking into the operation of closed material procedures (CMPs) under the Justice and Security Act 2013. It gives an unprecedented insight into the workings and challenges of these procedures, which enable the State to rely on secret material not shown to the other side in court proceedings.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 27th June 2021

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com