Human rights law
The Telegraph (£) runs an in-depth piece examining the UK government’s recent proposed changes to human rights law, namely, the Bill of Rights Bill. Despite multiple efforts to get the Bill through parliament, it was scrapped in June 2023.
Immediate past president Lubna Shuja said at the time: “We are pleased the government has seen sense and decided not to pursue the Bill of Rights Bill, which would have been a step backwards for British justice.”
Rising backlogs in family courts
The Independent and Solicitors Journal cover our reaction to the latest statistics in the family courts, which shows that thousands of children are waiting almost a year waiting to know which parent they will be living with.
Law Society president Nick Emmerson said: “There were more than 80,000 children caught up in the family backlogs last year. We are seeing similar numbers this year.
“It is unacceptable that thousands of children are waiting almost a year to find out who they will be living with long-term because of delays in the family court system.
“Delayed justice can cause significant harm to the wellbeing of both children and parents by preventing them from having the stability they need to thrive.”
Criminal court backlogs
Wigan Today, Chester Standard, Dudley News and Stourbridge News continue coverage of the latest criminal court statistics.
The number of outstanding cases in the Crown Court – 66,547 – is the highest on record.
Law Society president Nick Emmerson said the "fundamental right to access to justice is at stake without urgent investment into criminal justice.”
He added that the criminal justice system was "withering at the root due to decades of underinvestment and the government’s failure to tackle the crisis" and court delays were compounded by a shortage of legal professionals, poor infrastructure and overrun prisons.
Collapse of Axiom Ince
Today’s Wills & Probate and Today’s Family Lawyer report that we welcome the decision by the Legal Services Board (LSB) to undertake an independent review in the regulatory events that led up to the SRA’s intervention into Axiom Ince.
Law Society chief executive officer Ian Jeffery said: “As the oversight body responsible for assessing and monitoring effective and transparent regulatory performance, the LSB has the necessary investigation and enforcement powers to ensure that the events and actions relating to this very serious incident are fully brought to light.”
Rwanda immigration policy
Islamic Relief Worldwide covers our concerns about the government’s Rwanda immigration policy.
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