Why Britain’s biggest unsolved mass murder is being revisited 50 years on – BBC News

‘One night 50 years ago, on 21 November 1974, five men boarded a train from Birmingham New Street station heading for the Lancashire port of Heysham to catch a ferry to Belfast. They were going to the funeral of an IRA bomber who had blown himself up in Coventry the week before. The train left shortly before 8pm. Around 20 minutes later, a bomb exploded at a pub in Birmingham city centre called The Mulberry Bush. It was followed by a second explosion at The Tavern in the Town, another pub nearby. Twenty-one people were killed and 220 injured. The five men who had left the city by train – and a friend who waved them off at the station – were detained hours later on suspicion of being behind the bombings. They would become known as the Birmingham Six.’

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BBC News, 4th November 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Watchdog says cladding removal deadline may be missed – BBC News

‘The government could miss its own cladding removal completion date if progress is not made to speed up the process, the UK’s spending watchdog has said. In a new report, external, the National Audit Office (NAO) said up to 60% of buildings with dangerous cladding had still not been identified by the government, and at its current rate of progress it was due to miss its own estimated completion date of 2035 for the works.’

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BBC News, 4th November 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Serious Fraud Office probe £112m Unite union hotel – BBC News

Posted October 22nd, 2024 in fraud, hotels, inquiries, news, Serious Fraud Office, trade unions by tracey

‘The Serious Fraud Office is investigating the construction of a hotel and conference centre owned by one of the UK’s biggest trade unions, the BBC can reveal.’

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BBC News, 21st October 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Corpse abuse inquiry makes urgent call for funeral regulation in England – The Guardian

Posted October 16th, 2024 in burials and cremation, inquiries, murder, news by sally

‘Repeated failures to prevent dead people from being abused in funeral parlours and mortuaries highlight the urgent need for regulation of funeral services in England, an inquiry has found.’

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The Guardian, 15th October 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Hundreds of Afghan soldiers to become eligible to live in UK after new information found – The Guardian

‘An estimated 500 elite Afghan soldiers who fought alongside the British are expected to become eligible to come to the UK after a previous decision rejecting their applications was overturned.’

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The Guardian, 14th October 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Novichok inquiry latest: Probe opens into poisoning of Dawn Sturgess via nerve agent in Salisbury – The Independent

‘The public inquiry into the death of Dawn Sturgess, who died in the Salisbury Novichok poisonings, is set to open on Monday.’

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The Independent, 14th October 2024

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Post Office explores taking branch owner-operators to court again – The Guardian

Posted October 14th, 2024 in civil justice, computer programs, fraud, inquiries, news, postal service by tracey

‘The Post Office has recently explored resuming the practice of taking branch owner-operators to court, as mounting losses from shortfalls in its network of 11,500 outlets hit £12m a year. During the Horizon IT scandal more than 900 operators were wrongly prosecuted over discrepancies caused by the faulty accounting software, many of them brought privately by the Post Office, a practice it stopped in 2015 and has promised not to restart. However, the Post Office continued to use the court system for the civil recovery of losses from branches until 2018.’

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The Guardian, 13th October 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Lucy Letby: police and CPS handling of case raises new concerns about convictions – The Guardian

‘When the public inquiry into the crimes of the former nurse Lucy Letby opened in Liverpool last month its chair, Lady Justice Thirlwall, dismissed concerns about the safety of the convictions as “noise”. The judge cautioned that questions being raised were increasing the distress of parents whose children had died or been harmed.’

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The Guardian, 10th October 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Postmaster jailed for wife’s murder seeks appeal – BBC News

Posted October 3rd, 2024 in appeals, domestic violence, inquiries, married persons, murder, news, postal service by tracey

‘A former sub-postmaster serving life in prison for murdering his wife is seeking a fresh appeal of his conviction, arguing the Post Office Inquiry has shed new light on his case.’

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BBC News, 3rd October 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Naomi Campbell’s charity reported to commission over Unicef link-up claims – The Guardian

Posted October 2nd, 2024 in charities, Charity Commission, inquiries, news by tracey

‘The model Naomi Campbell’s Fashion for Relief project was the subject of a “serious incident” report filed with the Charity Commission after it claimed to be a fundraising partner of Unicef, it has emerged.’

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The Guardian, 2nd October 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Stephen Tierney: Towards a Principle of Positive Engagement?: The House of Lords Constitution Committee reports on The Governance of the Union – UK Constitutional Law Association

‘Over the past decade the House of Lords Constitution Committee has immersed itself in the principles, purposes and operation of devolution. Last week marked 10 years since the referendum on Scottish independence, and in that time the Committee has published multiple reports on the changing face of the territorial constitution, offering encouragement, detailed critique and practical recommendations. A number of these publications are cited in the introduction to its most recent report on The Governance of the Union: Consultation, Co-operation and Legislative Consent, which is published today. This report addresses the new system of intergovernmental relations introduced in 2022, the operation of the Sewel convention, the use of secondary legislation in devolved areas and plans by the new Labour Government for further devolution in England. Most notably, it recommends that a “principle of positive engagement” be added to the existing principles for intergovernmental relations, currently listed in The Review of Intergovernmental Relations policy document of January 2022.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 27th September 2024

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

Public Inquiries | Enhancing Public Trust: Key recommendations from the House of Lords Statutory Inquiries Committee report – 2 Hare Court

Posted September 25th, 2024 in chambers articles, inquiries, news, select committees by tracey

‘On Monday, the House of Lords Statutory Inquiries Committee published its report on recommended reforms to the work of statutory inquiries. The report is published in the context of 18 public inquires taking place in the UK this year alone, and recent significant developments in the Grenfell Tower, Infected Blood, Post Office and Covid-19 Inquiries. Some of the report’s recommendations extend beyond statutory inquiries, to include major inquests.’

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2 Hare Court, 19th September 2024

Source: www.2harecourt.com

Public inquiries should be shorter and recommendations tracked, Lords says – The Guardian

Posted September 16th, 2024 in accidents, building law, construction industry, delay, fire, inquiries, news, select committees by tracey

‘Public inquiries should be shortened and the progress of their recommendations tracked, according to a House of Lords committee, which says a major overhaul is required to restore public confidence among victims and survivors.’

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The Guardian, 16th September 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Lucy Letby – latest: Inquiry to begin into baby murders at NHS hospital as appeal attempt launched – The Independent

Posted September 10th, 2024 in appeals, children, hospitals, inquiries, murder, news, nurses by tracey

‘A public inquiry begins on Tuesday into the events surrounding the crimes of child serial killer nurse Lucy Letby.’

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The Independent, 10th September 2024

Source: www.independent.co.uk

What is the mental health public inquiry and what could it change? – BBC News

Posted September 9th, 2024 in hospitals, inquiries, mental health, news by tracey

‘Mental health patients are among the most vulnerable in society, but services in England have been under huge strain for at least a decade, with sometimes fatal consequences. A public inquiry backed by the government will focus on deaths in Essex as a starting point, but what is it and what does it hope to achieve?. Solicitors representing a growing number of families who have lost loved ones say the Lampard Inquiry, which starts on 9 September, is as important as those around the Post Office and infected blood scandals.’

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BBC News, 9th September 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Grenfell families criticise report for ignoring impact on diverse communities – The Guardian

‘Grenfell families have criticised the final inquiry report on the disaster for failing to fully address the disproportionate impact the tragedy had on diverse and marginalised communities.’

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The Guardian, 5th September 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Justice for Grenfell deaths may not come this decade, warns former chief prosecutor – The Guardian

‘Justice for those responsible for the 72 deaths in the Grenfell Tower fire may not come until the end of this decade, a former chief prosecutor has warned, as survivors voiced growing fury over building firms’ “arrogant” refusal to admit wrongdoing.’

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The Guardian, 5th September 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

The final Grenfell inquiry report and what it means for families – Politics Weekly UK – The Guardian

‘The 2017 Grenfell Tower fire in London was the result of ‘decades of failure’ by central government, the public inquiry into the catastrophe has found. The Guardian’s John Harris looks at the findings of the report with the social affairs leader writer Susanna Rustin. And, as Labour continues to warn ‘things will get worse before they get better’, we are joined by the economists James Meadway and Ann Pettifor to discuss whether a painful period of austerity-lite is the only way through the storm.’

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The Guardian, 5th September 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Grenfell Report: Key findings from the inquiry – BBC News

Posted September 5th, 2024 in bereavement, construction industry, fire, health & safety, inquiries, London, news, reports by sally

‘The Grenfell Inquiry’s final report sets out how a chain of failures across government and the private sector led to Grenfell Tower becoming a death trap.’

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BBC News, 4th September 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

High Court Upholds Costs Orders Against Halton Borough Council Over Planning Inquiry – Local Government Lawyer

Posted September 4th, 2024 in costs, expert witnesses, health & safety, housing, inquiries, local government, news, planning by tracey

‘The High Court has upheld two costs orders against Halton Borough Council following the collapse of a planning inquiry due to the failure of the council’s expert witness to support its case.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 4th September 2024

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk