‘Solidarity protests against the death of George Floyd in the US are continuing to take place in the UK – but are they actually legal given the coronavirus lockdown?’
BBC News, 3rd June 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘It is far from new for the conduct of Dominic Cummings to be a matter of political controversy. The man who is Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s current chief adviser was the Campaign Director of Vote Leave during the 2016 Brexit referendum, an organisation which was subsequently investigated by the Electoral Commission and fined for breaking electoral spending limits. Cummings has been held in contempt of Parliament, for refusing to attend a session of the House of Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee into ‘Disinformation and “Fake News”’, examining issues raised during the referendum campaign about data use and targeted political advertising. And he is widely believed to have been a key architect of the Prime Minister’s unlawful attempt to prorogue Parliament for five weeks in September 2019, in an undemocratic attempt to subvert an intransigent and hostile legislature at a key moment in the planned process of exiting the EU.’
UK Constitutional Law Association, 3rd June 2020
Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org
‘Coronavirus has struck in different ways. As well as the devastation it has reaped in taking people’s lives it has exposed an emasculated criminal justice system and political governance clamouring to justify law and guidance applying differently to those close to power from those outside.’
Doughty Street Chambers, 24th May 2020
Source: insights.doughtystreet.co.uk
‘The Leader of Brighton & Hove City Council has called for the local authority to be given more powers to implement a local lockdown in the area.’
Local Government Lawyer, 1st June 2020
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘On 1st June 2020 a further set of amendments to The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020 entered into force. Below are the key changes you should know about.’
The 36 Group, 2nd June 2020
Source: 36group.co.uk
‘Laws which criminalise what would otherwise be normal daily life and which the police must enforce must be clear, unambiguous, fair and fairly applied, logical and proportionate to the public health imperative. The purpose of this blog post is to illustrate the difficulties with the amended legislation, the inconsistencies between the laws of the four nations of the UK, as well as the problems of enforcement by the police. Whatever the problems with the legislation, whatever the high profile breaches, people must socially distance and must wear masks when unable to do so. The coronavirus is not going away soon, or perhaps ever. It may be joined by other novel viruses and human life may have to change.’
UK Police Law Blog, 2nd June 2020
Source: ukpolicelawblog.com
‘Police in England have been told they cannot go into homes or gardens to check whether coronavirus lockdown rules are being breached, according to new guidance.’
Daily Telegraph, 1st June 2020
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
‘The world-wide lockdown in response to the Covid-19 pandemic will have an unprecedented financial impact, not only on businesses in all areas of the economy but also on consumers. Public gatherings are banned or strictly limited and events have been cancelled or postponed. Future travel plans remain uncertain, with the borders of many other countries remaining closed to travellers from the UK and strict 14-day quarantine measures set to be imposed on those entering the UK from the end of May. Many companies are refusing or delaying offering refunds to affected consumers, who may have to resort to litigation to protect their rights. This alerter provides a broad overview of several affected areas, including package holidays, travel, holiday accommodation and events.’
Henderson Chambers, 19th May 2020
Source: www.hendersonchambers.co.uk
‘Compared to other routes under the Rules the requirements for a representative of an overseas business were relatively simple. For at least the past year, the Home Office sought to remedy this through unlawfully reading in an additional requirement: ‘genuineness’. From 4 June 2020, the Rules will be amended to explicitly refer to this requirement, by inserting the word ‘genuinely’ before listing the requirements for entry clearance.’
Richmond Chambers, 21st May 2020
Source: immigrationbarrister.co.uk
‘In the Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules presented to Parliament in May 2020, released last week, the Secretary of State has made clear that she will significantly tighten the sole representative of an overseas business visa category from 4 June 2020.’
Richmond Chambers, 18th May 2020
Source: immigrationbarrister.co.uk
‘In the context of an employer’s duty to provide PPE to protect against exposure to the novel coronavirus, the focus is likely to be on two sets of domestic health and safety regulations: The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 (PPE Regulations), and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH). The application of the latter should disapply the former, but the two will be considered together.’
Ropewalk Chambers, 6th May 2020
Source: www.ropewalk.co.uk
‘The “COVID-19 Guidance Tracker” is a new resource set up by the Regulatory team at Six Pump Court which is designed to enable businesses and legal professionals to more easily navigate to the applicable COVID-19 guidance that is most relevant to their area of work.’
Six Pump Court, May 2020
Source: www.6pumpcourt.co.uk
‘Boris Johnson has changed the lockdown rules in England, allowing people to spend more time outdoors.’
BBC News, 13th May 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘In this article, Dominic Ruck Keene and Henry Tufnell argue that the challengers to the legislation have not shown that the measures adopted by the Government are disproportionate in the circumstances of the pandemic.’
UK Human Rights Blog, 11th May 2020
Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com
‘On Wednesday 6 May, the UK awoke to a scandal: a senior scientific adviser to the government, Professor Neil Ferguson, resigned from his position on the government advisory body SAGE after the Telegraph revealed that Ms Antonia Staats – his “married lover” – had visited him at home during lockdown. The Metropolitan Police soon announced that they would investigate the incident.’
The 36 Group, 7th May 2020
Source: 36group.co.uk
‘On Friday 24 April 2020, the Government passed a statutory instrument making potentially significant changes to the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review Regulations 2010, and the obligations on local authorities imposed by those regulations. In addition to the amendments to the 2010 Regulations, other regulations were amended including the Adoption Agencies Regulations 2005, and the Fostering Services Regulations 2011. This briefing note summarises the main changes to the requirements for local authorities.’
Spire Barristers, 28th April 2020
Source: spirebarristers.co.uk
‘Even if the Gambling Commission were to make recommended improvements, it is “a small body that is unlikely to be fully effective in regulating a challenging and fast-changing industry within the current system”, the National Audit Office has warned.’
Local Government Lawyer, 28th March 2020
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
‘The government is set to ban the placement of children in care under the age of 16 in unregulated homes in England, following a BBC investigation.’
BBC News, 12th February 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘New powers will be given to the watchdog Ofcom to force social media firms to act over harmful content.’
BBC News, 12th February 2020
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
‘The Government has unveiled plans for a new regulator to oversee the design, construction and occupation of high-risk buildings.’
Local Government Lawyer, January 2020
Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk
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