September 2011

Without Prejudice

September 30, 2011

This week’s Without Prejudice is a criminal law special. Francis Fitzgibbon QC of Doughty Street Chambers and Amanda (“Milly”) Bancroft join Charon QC, David Allen Green and me to discuss: riots sentencing and appeals contempt of court, including the Paul Thompson case and “Google directions” the death penalty and execution of Troy Davis legal aid, [...]

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EHRC observations in Strasbourg “religitigation” cases

September 28, 2011

A few weeks ago Adam Wagner at the UK Human Rights Blog told us the ECHR had changed the stance it took in July on a series of religious discrimination claims currently being pursued in the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. Those claims include the case of Nadia Eweida, who wanted by BA [...]

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Arctic break

September 10, 2011

I’m away in the Arctic for a couple of weeks, without internet access – so will be taking a break as Head of Legal. I’m not completely taking a break from things legal, though. I’m going as part of the Nowhereisland project. Have a look at the website, see what you think – and why [...]

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Martin Howe QC’s advice to Steve Hilton: a few questions

September 8, 2011

Yesterday I wrote about the legal advice that, according to the Telegraph and the Standard, the PM’s Director of Strategy Steve Hilton obtained from Martin Howe QC. According to the Telegraph: The Prime Minister’s office secretly commissioned its own legal advice .. Steve Hilton, Mr Cameron’s director of policy, is understood to have hired Martin [...]

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No. 10 “secretly commissioned legal advice”

September 7, 2011

The Telegraph, reporting today on tension between 10 Downing Street and the Department for Business over implementing the Agency Workers Directive, tells us Downing Street has been told by lawyers that the Business Secretary’s department has “gold-plated” the legislation with additional rules that need not have been included, despite a pledge by the Coalition not [...]

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The Department of Health’s legal response to 38 Degrees

September 6, 2011

Guido Fawkes today drew attention to two responses by Conservative MPs to the legal opinion published by 38 Degrees about the Health and Social Care Bill – one by Stephen Phillips, and another by Guy Opperman. But the Department of Health has also published its own response – no doubt written by the lawyers working [...]

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A cautionary lesson: the Vicky Haigh and Liz Watson judgments

September 6, 2011

Sir Nicholas Wall has published his judgments in these cases involving Vicky Haigh, the woman John Hemming named in Parliament as a potential “secret prisoner” back in April after she spoke at a public meeting about the court case involving her child, and Elizabeth Watson, the woman who wrote e-mails and articles on the web [...]

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Why were there no arrests at the Proms?

September 2, 2011

I was listening to the Proms last night, when the concert was rudely interrupted. As most readers will know, protesters disrupted the concert because the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra was playing. I’m attracted by Norman Lebrecht’s view (expressed in response to an earlier, similar outrage at the Wigmore Hall, apparently involving at least one of the [...]

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EU law and the Health and Social Care Bill

September 1, 2011

And now for something completely different. The Health and Social Care Bill is approaching report stage in the House of Commons, and the campaign group 38 Degrees has obtained legal advice about it from Stephen Cragg and Rebecca Haynes. Legal advice on the Health and Social Care Bill The advice covers a number of things, but I’m most [...]

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John Hemming’s judicial conduct complaint against Sir Nicholas Wall

September 1, 2011

I must write about something other than John Hemming MP and his causes soon, or else I’ll become an obsessed man, and start suing everyone, or something. But before leaving the subject, I must pick up on something written by Christopher Booker on the Telegraph website over the weekend, in a piece critical of Sir [...]

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