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29 April 2022 / Michael Zander KC
Issue: 7976 / Categories: Features , Constitutional law , Human rights
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A British Bill of Rights: going nowhere?

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Is Dominic Raab’s project doomed? Michael Zander reports on criticism from across the legal spectrum
  • With the next steps on the government’s proposals for reform of the Human Rights Act 1998 cautiously awaited, key figures including retired Lord Justice Sir Peter Gross, former justice secretary Sir Robert Buckland, and the Law Society have already made their criticisms known.

The government’s consultation on the Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA 1998) closed on 8 March 2022. We are in the waiting stage while Dominic Raab, the justice secretary, decides which, if any, of his proposals in the consultation document to put forward in legislation.

The consultation document was published on 14 December 2021, together with the report of the Independent Human Rights Act Review (IHRAR) chaired by retired Lord Justice, Sir Peter Gross (see ‘The assault on liberty updated’, NLJ, 7 & 14 January 2022, p7).

On 30 March, Sir Peter Gross spoke at University College London (UCL) about the independent review (available to watch here).

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig

Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig

Workplace law firm expands commercial disputes team with senior consultant hire

EIP—Rob Barker

EIP—Rob Barker

IP firm promotes patent attorney to partner

Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler

Muckle LLP—Ryan Butler

Banking and restructuring team bolstered by insolvency specialist

NEWS
The Supreme Court has delivered a decisive ruling on termination under the JCT Design & Build form. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Singer KC and Jonathan Ward, of Kings Chambers, analyse Providence Building Services v Hexagon Housing Association [2026] UKSC 1, which restores the first-instance decision and curbs contractors’ termination rights for repeated late payment
Secondments, disciplinary procedures and appeal chaos all feature in a quartet of recent rulings. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Smith, barrister and emeritus professor of employment law at UEA, examines how established principles are being tested in modern disputes
The AI revolution is no longer a distant murmur—it’s at the client’s desk. Writing in NLJ this week, Peter Ambrose, CEO of The Partnership and Legalito, warns that the ‘AI chickens’ have ‘come home to roost’, transforming not just legal practice but the lawyer–client relationship itself
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
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