Information watchdog reviews data complaint from striking barristers September 4, 2022 THE UK’s data protection watchdog is reviewing a complaint that argues justice secretary Dominic Raab could have breached privacy laws, after he allegedly requested that the names of striking barristers be collected and handed over to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). London law firm Mishcon de Reya, acting on behalf of the Criminal Bar Association [...]
Magistrates’ Court workers to worsen disruption with nine-day strike September 4, 2022 Magistrates Court workers are set to add to the disruption facing the UK’s criminal justice system by launching a nine-day strike, from the 10th to the 18th September. The strike, involving members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union, will see court staff take industrial action over the government’s £1bn courts digitalisation strategy. The [...]
Bain & Co to challenge UK government’s ban via judicial review September 4, 2022 Bain & Co is set to challenge the Cabinet Office’s decision to ban it from competing for government contracts, via a judicial review. The US consultancy has applied for a judicial review of the Cabinet Office’s decision last month to ban the firm from tendering for UK government work, the Financial Times reported. The UK [...]
City Exclusive – SFO’s ‘unique skillset’ will be needed to tackle UK’s worsening fraud epidemic, Lisa Osofsky says September 2, 2022 The director of the UK’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has said the agency’s skillset will be needed to combat the mounting levels of increasingly complex and high-value frauds facing the UK’s court system. The letter comes in response to reports in this paper showing the number of fraud cases reaching the UK Crown Courts dropped [...]
UK’s review of remote working holidays sparks tax crackdown fears September 1, 2022 The UK’s Office for Tax Simplification (OTS) has opened a review into those who work abroad remotely, in a sign the government may soon begin to crack down on remote working holidays. The OTS has begun collecting data on people who work for UK companies from abroad, following a major uptick in the numbers of [...]
Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak to face Whitehall strike on first day as prime minister September 1, 2022 The next prime minister will be forced to face strike action in Whitehall on their first day in office, the public sector workers’ union has warned. Either Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak will face industrial action on the part of Whitehall workers, after members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union voted strike. The [...]
Raab vows to break barristers’ ‘near-monopoly’ over Crown Court trials August 24, 2022 Justice secretary Dominic Raab is seeking to undermine the barristers’ strike by breaking their “near-monopoly” over crown court trials, government sources told the Daily Mail. As the UK government faces the prospect of an all-out barristers strike from the start of next month, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is weighing up plans to expand the [...]
Arm CEO: UK’s semiconductor strategy must make it easier to hire overseas talent August 22, 2022 The UK’s upcoming semiconductor strategy must make it easier for overseas talent to work in the country, the boss of British computer chip designer Arm has said today. Speaking to The Times, chief executive Rene Haas said that policy which makes it “easier for engineers to move across borders to be hired” would be “hugely [...]
NGOs including Oxfam and Save the Children call on Covid-19 Inquiry to probe global impact of UK vaccine buying August 22, 2022 A string of NGOs, including Oxfam, have called on the chair of the Government’s Covid-19 Inquiry to probe the impacts of UK pandemic policy on the global stage. In a letter to chair Baroness Hallett today, the NGOs said: “Given the inquiry’s focus on the impact of the pandemic on inequalities, this should include [...]
Criminal Barristers vote to escalate strike action over legal aid fees August 22, 2022 Criminal barristers today voted in favour of plans to cancel their bi-weekly court walkouts and run a continuous strike from 5 September onwards. The Criminal Bar Association’s members overwhelmingly backed the decision to strike on an “indefinite basis” on Monday morning. 2273 members backed escalation of strikes by 79.5 per cent, with 11 per cent supporting a continuation [...]