Shortage of Judges Delaying Criminal Trials
Hundreds of criminal trials have been deferred at the last minute due to a shortage of crown court judges, prosecutors and defence counsel. According to a review of official numbers by the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), 280 severe crime cases were delayed at short notice in the last three months of last year because no […]
ICO Fines Facial Recognition Firm Clearview AI & Orders Deletion of Data on UK Residents
Controversial startup Clearview AI has been fined more than £7.5 million by the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and ordered to destroy any data it holds on UK residents following several violations of UK data protection law. Breaches include using scraping technology to extract people’s photos from images and videos posted on news sites, social […]
Legal Smoking Age in England May be Raised to 18
The legal smoking age in England could be raised from 18 to 21, following a government assessment of plans to make England smoke-free by 2030. The independent assessment commissioned by Sajid Javid, the health minister, and chaired by Javed Khan, the former chief executive of the children’s charity Barnardo’s, is expected to propose increased taxes […]
Criminal Solicitors to Refuse Burglary Cases in Action Against Government Plans
Criminal defence solicitors are preparing to join the criminal bar in protest action against the government’s controversial plans to reform the criminal legal aid system. The London Criminal Courts Solicitors Association recently conducted a survey of its members on possible actions due to the continuing issue of low pay, including taking a full hour for […]
Google Sued for ‘Unlawful’ Use of 1.6 Million Britons’ NHS Data
Google is being sued in the United Kingdom for unlawful use of 1.6 million people’s private medical records. The data was obtained in 2015 from the Royal Free NHS Trust in London with the aim of testing a smartphone app known as ‘Streams’ by the company’s artificial intelligence arm, DeepMind. The app was aimed at addressing […]
Prince Charles Delivers Queens Speech Outlining Government Priorities
Prince Charles has outlined the government’s priorities for the next year, delivering the Queen’s Speech for 2022. The Queen did not attend the ceremony to officially reopen Parliament due to ill health. The main points are summarised below. General changes A proposed Mental Health Bill to restructure the mental health system in England and Wales […]
New UK Work Visa Routes Announced For 2022
The UK Home Office has announced a number of changes to the UK Immigration Rules impacting work visa options and routes for employers to recruit and employ overseas workers. As a headline for businesses, the UK ICT visa and Sole Representative visa are closing and are being replaced by a number of new work visas. […]
UK Home Secretary Faces Legal Action Over Ukraine Scheme Visa Delays
Priti Patel, the UK Home Secretary, is facing legal action over delays that have exposed thousands of Ukrainians to trauma and Russian bombing or left them stranded in eastern Europe. UK sponsors under the Homes for Ukraine visa scheme are threatening to take legal action against the Government on behalf of hundreds of Ukrainians who […]
Minimum Age to Get Married Rising to 18
The minimum age to marry in England and Wales is to be raised from 16 to 18. The Bill proposing the change was put forward by Conservative MP Pauline Latham last year and has now been passed by the House of Lords with support from both the government and opposition parties. It is expected to […]
Consumer Watchdog Given Enhanced Powers to Tackle Rogue Trading
Enforcement of consumer law is being strengthened under new government plans announced today. A statement from the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy issued today outlines new enhanced powers for the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to be able to directly enforce consumer law, including the ability to fine firms up to 10% of […]
“Apocalyptic” Legal Bill Leads Judge to Call for Limits to Divorce Legal Costs
Divorce legal costs have come under the spotlight as a Hight Court Judge expressed concern at the “apocalyptic” legal bill facing a divorcing couple. Mr Justice Mostyn is ruling on divorce proceedings between Russian businesswoman Alla Rakshina and her Greek ex-husband, Lazaros Xanthopoulos. The case, being heard in London, began on 21 September 2020 and […]
Digital Service Launched for Subject Access Requests to Ministry of Justice & Legal Aid Agency
A new digital service allowing individuals to request personal information held by the Legal Aid Agency and other parts of the Ministry of Justice is now available. In a statement on the UK government website, the Legal Aid Agency said the new online service had been designed to “improve user experience” for individuals making Subject […]
No Fault Divorce Now Allowed in England & Wales
From today, separating couples in England and Wales will no longer need to apportion blame as part of the legal divorce process. The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act (2020) brings in the most far-reaching change in divorce laws in more than 50 years. Under the new no-fault divorce rules, either one or both of the […]
Increases to Statutory Employment Payments from April 2022
National minimum wage and other statutory rates of pay are set to change for the year April 2022-2023. Employers must ensure they adjust employee pay levels to comply with the new statutory rates. National minimum wage 2022-2023 From 1 April 2022, the following increases will apply: For workers aged 23 and over, the national living […]
UK Removes All COVID Travel Restrictions
From 4am Friday 18 March 2022, travel into the UK will no be longer subject to COVID-19 restrictions. The UK Government has removed the requirement on passengers arriving into the UK to take a COVID test or to complete a passenger locator form. In addition, unvaccinated passengers no longer need to take a pre-departure test […]
UK Launches Ukraine Visa Schemes
The UK Government has launched a number of visa schemes in response to the humanitarian crisis following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. ‘Homes for Ukraine’ local sponsorship scheme A new local sponsorship scheme has been launched for Ukrainians without any family ties to the UK. Under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, sponsors such as communities, private […]
Divorce Portal to Close on 31 March as New System is Rolled Out
HM Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS) will be closing the MyHMCTS portal from 31 March 2022 as new no-fault divorce rules take effect in England and Wales. A new system for applications is expected to be available on 6 April. In practical terms, the closure means that from 31 March to 5 April, the digital […]
Journalist Wins in ‘Kleptocrat’ Book Libel Case
The High Court has dimissed a libel case brought by a post-Soviet mining company against a UK journalist. Kazakhstan-based Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation (ENRC), a mining company with interests around the world, brought the lawsuit against journalist Tom Burgis for his book ‘Kleptopia’. The book is about how dirty money and corruption are now “flooding […]
Home Office Announces Visa Extensions for Ukrainian Nationals in UK
The UK Home Office has announced temporary measures for Ukrainian nationals in the UK who need to need to extend their visa but who cannot return to Ukraine. Under the UK Immigration Rules, for most visa categories, visa holders are generally required to leave the country in order to apply to extend or switch their […]
UK Government Closes Tier 1 Investor Visa
The UK Government has permanently closed the Tier 1 (Investor) Visa route for foreign nationals. The closure took effect from 4pm 17 February 2022, and applies to all new investor visa applications from applicants of all nationalities. In its statement, the Home Office advised that the visa route had been “under constant review” and that […]