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Judicial review: under review

Is the current government a threat to the independence of the judiciary? Amanda Robinson & David Wolchover review the evidence

On 14 February 2020, Amanda Pinto QC, Chair of the Bar Council, highlighted concerns about the Prime Minister’s proposals for a constitutional commission to examine the role of judicial review challenges and whether judges were trespassing on political territory. Five months on, the Prime Minister’s proposal is now reality with the government announcing last Friday that an independent panel, chaired by Lord Edward Faulks QC, will consider whether the right balance is being struck between the rights of citizens to challenge executive decisions and the need for effective and efficient government. It is our contention that the threat or potential threat to the judiciary is far greater, if the government’s words and actions are taken at face value.

Boris  Johnson: a potted history

The Prime Minister is no stranger to challenges over his apparent indifference to testimonial exactitude, to deploy a euphemism coined by the historical colossus he so

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Druces LLP—Afsor Ullah

Druces LLP—Afsor Ullah

Partner appointed head of Islamic finance

Birketts—Rachel Frost-Smith

Birketts—Rachel Frost-Smith

Legal director named as new head of children

Kingsley Napley—Tristan Cox-Chung

Kingsley Napley—Tristan Cox-Chung

Firm bolsters restructuring and insolvency team with partner hire

NEWS
Criminal defence lawyers have expressed dismay at the Lord Chancellor David Lammy’s plans to reduce the backlog by scaling back jury trials to murder, rape, homicide and other indictable crimes where the sentence is three years or more
MPs will vote next week on an amendment to fast-track the change to the unfair dismissal qualifying period, as the government’s flagship Employment Rights Bill returns to the Commons
Barristers have been warned to be on guard against anthropomorphism, hallucinations, information disorder, bias in data training, mistakes, data protection blunders and confidential data leaks when using generative artificial intelligence (AI)
Legal aid lawyers have welcomed increased fees for criminal, housing and immigration work
Public willingness to take part in class actions is rising, according to annual research by communications consultancy Portland
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