30th January 2023 by Hal McNulty In the news Nadhim Zahawi has been sacked from the Cabinet after making what he calls a “careless and not deliberate” mistake with his taxes. He reportedly paid a 30% penalty fee on top of the money owed to HMRC in connection with his use of an offshore company to hold shares in the polling company YouGov. The Prime Minister had been resisting calls to fire his Minister Without Portfolio, who also serves as Chairman of the Conservative Party, until the independent advisor tasked to investigate the issue made clear that there had been a “serious breach of the m ..read more

Source: https://www.workersliberty.org/blogs/2022-05-23/tories-threaten-new-anti-strike-laws In the news Grant Shapps, the Business Secretary, has set out the anti-strike laws that are planned to enforce minimum levels of service during strike action. Under the proposals, some employees would be required to work during a strike and could be fired if they refuse. It would be for the ministers to set the minimum levels of service, and there would be no automatic protection from unfair dismissal in breaching these levels. Unions have criticised the bill for being ‘undemocratic, unworkable, and al ..read more

Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images In the news: President Putin has ordered his troops in Ukraine to cease fire for 36 hours over Orthodox Christmas and has urged Ukrainian forces to do the same. However, the move was rejected by Kyiv, and the US state department, as a “cynical trap” and propaganda move. Putin announced the truce, to begin at noon 6 January 2023, after a call by Patriarch Kirill, leader of the Russian Orthodox Church. Ministers announced legislation that looks to enforce “minimum service levels” in six sectors, including the health service, rail, education, fire and bo ..read more

In Episode 177 Emma-Louise Fenelon speaks to Margaret Bowron KC about how to avoid disastrous expert evidence. This episode is an update to the popular 2019 episode with Neil Sheldon KC, available here. Margaret and Emma discuss mistakes in expert reports, the standard to be applied to expert reports, actual and potential conflicts of interest, the importance of staying within one’s area of expertise, and the danger where lawyers get involved in joint experts discussions. The episode discusses the following cases: ·      Radia v Marks [2022] EWHC 145 (Q ..read more

The year passed was, unsurprisingly, another year of tumult and surprise, something that by now registers as the norm rather than an aberration. Even so, 2022 must be a standout year – even by recent standards. From Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the collapse of two consecutive Tory governments, dramatic election results around the world from Israel to Brazil, and in the run up to the festive season a football World Cup as mired in human rights controversy as in any sporting event can be, 2022 was not a quiet year.  Nor did the legal world disappoint. On ..read more

Source of image: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/mar/27/government-paid-firm-linked-to-tory-peer-122m-for-ppe-bought-for-46m In the news The Government has launched legal action to recover £122m from PPE Medpro, the supplier recommended by Conservative peer Michelle Mone. The claim is grounded in a contract for the supply of 25m sterile surgical gowns awarded via the ‘VIP lane’ used during the pandemic to prioritise companies with political connections. None of the gowns purchased were ever used in the NHS as they were allegedly not fit for purpose, although Medpro insist that the go ..read more

In our final episode of the year, Rosalind English, Lucy McCann and Jonathan Metzer discuss some of the most important judgments that have been handed down in the last twelve months. The recording of this episode took place a day before judgment was handed down in the “Rwanda case” ( R ((AAA) Syria and Ors) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2022] EWHC 3230 (Admin). Below are the citations for all the cases discussed in this episode. Coroner’s Regulation 28 report into the death of Molly Russell (30 September, 2022) R (Morahan) v HM Assistant Coroner for West London&nb ..read more

In Episode 175, Emma-Louise Fenelon speaks to Rory Badenoch and Rajkiran Barhey about recent developments in inquest law. This episode touches on the following important cases: Morahan v HMC for West London [2022] EWCA Civ 1410    Nguyen v HMC for Inner West London [2021] EWHC 3354  Wandsworth BC v HMC for Inner West London[2021] EWHC 801  Chief Coroner’s Law Sheet No. 6  Gorani v Sanghera [2022] EWHC 1593   Maguire v HMC for Blackpool & Fylde (judgment awaited)   Mays v HMC For Kingston Upon Hull and East Riding of Yorkshire [2 ..read more

Source:  Matthew Troke / Shutterstock.com In the news: The Divisional Court has dismissed the claim for judicial review challenging decisions made by the Home Secretary that asylum claims made in the United Kingdom should not be determined here and that instead the persons who have made those claims should be removed to Rwanda to have their asylum claims determined there. Removal from the United Kingdom in these circumstances involves two decisions: first, a decision that the asylum claim is inadmissible – i.e., that the asylum claim should not be decided on its merits in the United King ..read more

Image: The Guardian R ((AAA) Syria and Ors) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2022] EWHC 3230 (Admin) On 14th April of this year, the then-Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, announced a new ‘Migration and Economic Development Partnership’ between the UK Government and the Government of Rwanda to enable the removal of certain persons to who enter the UK to claim asylum (particularly those who arrive in small boats crossing the English Channel) to Rwanda, where – if their claims succeeded – they would be resettled. Yesterday, the Divisional Court (Lewis LJ and Swift J) held that, in prin ..read more