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07 July 2020
Issue: 7894 / Categories: Legal News , Covid-19
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Prosecuting Dominic Cummings

A former Chief Crown Prosecutor for the north west has engaged lawyers with a view to bringing a private prosecution against the Prime Minister’s chief advisor Dominic Cummings

Nazir Afzal believes the police have not gathered all the relevant evidence regarding Cummings’s notorious trip to Durham while infected with COVID-19 and have not investigated at all some of the alleged breaches of the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) Regulations 2020 and related offences.

His lawyers wrote to the Director of Public Prosecutions, Max Hill QC, the Chief Constable of Durham and the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police last week asking them to investigate further and provide detailed information.

Afzal’s solicitor, Mike Schwarz, partner at Hodge, Jones & Allen, said: ‘It is his simple wish and expectation that current senior police investigators and prosecutors are reminded of their responsibilities and carry out their duties in Mr Cummings’ case. By failing to do so they would perpetuate the public’s perception that there is one rule for those in positions of power and another for ordinary citizens.’

Issue: 7894 / Categories: Legal News , Covid-19
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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Kennedys—Milan Devani

Kennedys—Milan Devani

Chief information officer appointment strengthens technology leadership

Maguire Family Law—Hannah Barlow & Sophie Hughes

Maguire Family Law—Hannah Barlow & Sophie Hughes

Firm strengthens Wilmslow team with two solicitor appointments

DWF—Ian Plumley

DWF—Ian Plumley

Londoninsurance and reinsurance practice announces partner appointment

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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