MP granted super-injunction – The Independent

“A serving MP may have taken out a super-injunction preventing details of their activities being exposed, it was disclosed today (5 May).”

Full story

The Independent, 5th May 2011

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Fred Goodwin’s superinjunction text to be studied by MPs – The Guardian

“The text of the superinjunction obtained by the banker Sir Fred Goodwin has been handed to the Treasury select committee so that MPs can examine whether it raises public interest issues.”

Full story

The Guardian, 27th April 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

New superinjunctions row as MP speaks out – The Guardian

“Lib Dem told discussion about specific injunction could only take place in private due to sub judice rules.”

Full story

The Guardian, 26th April 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Lord Neuberger asks who is the master: the unelected judge or the elected politician? – The Guardian

“According to the master of the rolls, courts could overrule parliament in wholly exceptional cases.”

Full story

The Guardian, 11th April 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Elliot Morley faces jail after admitting MPs’ expenses fraud – The Guardian

“The former Labour minister Elliot Morley faces a prison sentence after pleading guilty to dishonestly claiming more than £30,000 in parliamentary expenses relating to false mortgage claims.”

Full story

The Guardian, 7th April 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Who’s the master now? – Speech by Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury, Master of the Rolls

Who’s the master now? (PDF)

Speech by Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury, Master of the Rolls

Second Lord Alexander of Weedon Lecture, 6th April 2011

Source: www.judiciary.gov.uk

Expenses bill to soar as MPs force watchdog to relax rules – Daily Telegraph

“MPs will be able to claim millions of pounds more in expenses under reforms to the system to be announced today.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 25th March 2011

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Phone hacking: Met and DPP clash over legal advice on stolen voicemails – The Guardian

“The phone-hacking scandal has spilled over into an extraordinary public clash between the Metropolitan police and the director of public prosecutions, with each side implying the other has misled parliament.”

Full story

The Guardian, 24th March 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

MPs’ expenses: strict new rules to be eased – Daily Telegraph

“The rules governing MPs’ expenses are to be relaxed this week following months of complaints that the current system is unfair.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 21st March 2011

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

The House of Lords is keeping ministers’ Henry VIII powers in check – The Guardian

“The government’s little-reported announcement last week that it will no longer bypass parliament when it abolishes public bodies is a sign that the House of Lords is working effectively: even ministers now understand that the best thing to do when they find themselves in a hole is to stop digging.”

Full story

The Guardian, 9th March 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

MPs’ expenses: Eric Illsley jailed for 12 months – The Guardian

“The former Labour MP Eric Illsley has been jailed for 12 months at Southwark crown court after pleading guilty to charges of false accounting concerning nearly £14,500 in parliamentary expenses.”

Full story

The Guardian, 10th February 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Prisoners’ right to vote: Q&A – The Guardian

“MPs are set to debate on a motion calling for Britain to defy the European court of human rights over giving prisoners the right to vote on Thursday.”

Full story

The Guardian, 10th February 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

The campaign against proposed legal aid cuts gains public support – Law Society’s Gazette

“Last week’s adjournment debate on legal aid cuts in the House of Commons marked a change in tone among MPs who, before Christmas, had not made much of the Ministry of Justice’s proposed £350m annual cut to the legal aid budget. What became evident in the debate, secured by Labour MP Yvonne Fovargue, is that MPs are starting to feel the pressure on this issue at a constituency level – from solicitors, citizens advice bureaux, barristers and groups who work with, and represent, vulnerable people.”

Full story

Law Society’s Gazette, 10th February 2011

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Government electoral reform dealt Lords blow – The Guardian

“The government suffered a narrow defeat in the House of Lords on Monday night when rebel Tories joined forces with Labour peers to make the planned referendum on electoral reform non-binding if turnout falls below 40%.”

Full story

The Guardian, 7th February 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

New laws may be ‘only way forward’ to combat hacking of MPs’ phones – The Guardian

“MPs today (25 January) heard calls for new legislation that would give parliament powers to impose sanctions against individuals involved in phone hacking, even if the police decided not to proceed with a case.”

Full story

The Guardian, 25th January 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Lord Taylor found guilty of expenses fraud – The Guardian

“Lord Taylor of Warwick today became the first peer to be convicted in connection with the parliamentary expenses investigation, when a jury found him guilty of dishonestly claiming £11,277 in allowances.”

Full story

The Guardian, 25th January 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Peers bed down for marathon session to pass reform bill – The Guardian

“Lords debate reduction in the number of MPs in parliament.”

Full story

The Guardian, 17th January 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

MPs’ expenses: David Chaytor sentenced to 18 months in prison for false accounting – Daily Telegraph

“The former Labour MP David Chaytor has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for falsifying his expenses claims.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 7th January 2011

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Parliament’s expenses watchdog launches review – BBC News

“Parliament’s expenses watchdog is launching a public consultation after criticism over the way it is run.”

Full story

BBC News, 5th January 2011

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Regina (Woolas) v Parliamentary Election Court and others – WLR Daily

Regina (Woolas) v Parliamentary Election Court and others [2010] EWHC 3169 (Admin); [2010] WLR (D) 217

“The relationship of a parliamentary election court to the High Court was such that it was to be regarded as an inferior tribunal so that its actions could be the subject of judicial review; and the jurisdiction in judicial review of an election court was not confined to an excess of jurisdiction in the narrow sense but extended to correcting errors in its application of the law.”

WLR Daily, 8th December 2010

Source: www.lawreports.co.uk

Please note once a case has been fully reported in one of the ICLR series the corresponding WLR Daily summary is removed.

Court clarifies constitutional role in Woolas decision – The Guardian

“Phil Woolas has lost his election court challenge but the decision shines a light on an obscure part of the constitutional system.”

Full story

The Guardian, 3rd December 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Woolas’s exit paves way for BNP to stand in by-election – The Independent

“Phil Woolas has given up his battle against becoming the first MP for almost a century to lose his seat for lying about an opponent.”

Full story

The Independent, 4th December 2010

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Lords committee criticises government plans for constitutional reform – The Guardian

“A collection of peers has criticised the government’s proposed constitutional changes, concluding that the reforms will strengthen the executive’s grip on parliament.”

Full story

The Guardian, 12th November 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Peers threaten voting reform bill – BBC News

“Government plans for a referendum in May on changing the voting system could be at risk if peers vote later to refer them to a Lords committee.”

Full story

BBC News, 15th November 2010

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Oldham East byelection delayed as Phil Woolas seeks judicial review – The Guardian

“A byelection to select a new MP for Oldham East and Saddleworth has been put on hold pending the outcome of an attempt by Phil Woolas, who won the seat for Labour in May, to overturn a court decision ruling his election void.”

Full story

The Guardian, 8th November 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Labour minister barred from Commons for three years – Daily Telegraph

“Former immigration minister Phil Woolas lost his seat as an MP today after an election court ruled that he knowingly made false statements about an opponent in May’s general election.”

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 5th November 2010

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Three peers suspended from Lords over expenses claims – BBC News

“Three peers have been suspended from the Lords for wrongly claiming expenses totalling tens of thousands of pounds.”

Full story

BBC News, 21st October 2010

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

House of Lords suspends three from parliament in expenses clampdown – The Guardian

“Three peers were today suspended from parliament – the toughest punishment enacted in the House of Lords in modern times – after an inquiry found that each had broken expenses rules to wrongly claim tens of thousands of pounds.”

Full story

The Guardian, 18th October 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Three former MPs take expenses appeals to Supreme Court – BBC News

“Three former Labour MPs facing criminal trials over their expenses claims have taken their case to the Supreme Court.”

Full story

BBC News, 18th October 2010

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Lawcast168: Carl Gardner on “Monkeying with national sovereignty” – Charon QC

“Today I am talking to Carl Gardner, ex government lawyer and author of the Head of Legal blog, about the extraordinary idea being put forward by Foreign Secretary William Hague that we need to enshrine Parliamentary Sovereignty in our law. There are many dangers in doing so. There could well be *unintended consequences* and Carl Gardner says that the drafting of this legislation will need especial care.”

Podcast

Charon QC, 8th October 20101

Source: www.charonqc.wordpress.com

“Charon QC” is the blogging pseudonym of Mike Semple Piggot, editor of insitelaw newswire.

Phone-hacking row: government backs new inquiry – The Guardian

“Pressure mounts on Andy Coulson, as MPs call on the powerful standards and privileges committee to summon witnesses such as Rupert Murdoch to give evidence.”

Full story

The Guardian, 9th September 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Phone hacking claims to be debated by Parliament – BBC News

“MPs are to hold an emergency debate later to discuss the allegations of phone hacking by journalists at the News of the World.”

Full story

BBC News, 9th September 2010

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Fixed-term parliaments bill open to legal challenge, clerk of Commons warns – The Guardian

“A major potential flaw in the coalition’s bill to introduce fixed-term parliaments was exposed when the clerk of the Commons today warned it would open the way for repeated legal challenges if parliament passed a vote of no confidence in a government, leading to a general election.”

Full story

The Guardian, 7th September 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Nick Clegg’s ‘illegal’ Iraq war gaffe prompts legal warning – The Guardian

“Nick Clegg was tonight (21 July) forced to clarify his position on the Iraq war after he stood up at the dispatch box of the House of Commons and pronounced the invasion illegal.”

Full story

The Guardian, 21st July 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

MP urges fines for credit card firms over child porn – BBC News

“Credit and debit card companies should face fines if their products are used to buy child pornography on the internet, an MP says.”

Full story

BBC News, 21st July 2010

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Ex Labour MPs and Tory peer lose expenses ruling – BBC News

Three former MPs and a peer are set to stand trial over expenses fraud allegations after a judge ruled they could not claim parliamentary privilege to stop prosecution.”

Full story

BBC News, 11th June 2010

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Watchdog to revise expenses rules after MPs’ complaints – The Guardian

“The new parliamentary watchdog is to revise some of its rules after an outcry from MPs over the new expenses regime, with many saying they are being forced to lay off staff and others claiming to be substantially out of pocket.”

Full story

The Guardian, 25th May 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Queen’s Speech 2010 – Number 10

“The Queen has outlined the Government’s priorities for the coming Parliamentary year in the Queen’s Speech following the official state opening of Parliament.”

Full story

Number 10, 25th May 2010

Source: www.number10.gov.uk

Queen’s Speech lays out radical agenda – The Independent

“David Cameron’s coalition Government launched its first legislative programme today – with flagship Bills on schools, political reform and a promise to scrap ID cards.”

Full story

The Independent, 25th May 2010

Source: www.independent.co.uk

MPs to challenge new expenses watchdog over strict rules – The Guardian

“MPs are to challenge the new expenses watchdog, claiming its strict rules are forcing them to lay off staff and compromising their service to constituents.”

Full story

The Guardian, 20th May 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

House of Lords transformation plans leaked – The Guardian

“The House of Lords should become a second chamber where just two-thirds of members are elected until fresh primary legislation in 10 years’ time decides whether all peers should be elected, according to a document drawn up by the government.”

Full story

The Guardian, 19th April 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010

Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 published

Full text of Act (PDF)

Source:

Lords back mephedrone ban – The Independent

“A ban on mephedrone and other so-called ‘legal highs’ was backed by the Lords today amid accusations ministers were guilty of a ‘knee-jerk’ response.”

Full story

The Independent, 8th April 2010

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Scramble to save Bills at end of parliament – The Independent

“Moves to stage a referendum on scrapping the first-past-the-post electoral system have been abandoned as the parties wrangle over legislation to be rushed into law ahead of the general election. The Government has also dropped proposals to phase out the right of hereditary peers to sit in the House of Lords.”

Full story

The Independent, 7th April 2010

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Jack Straw: ‘To survive in politics, you’ve got to have a sixth sense’ – The Guardian

“Jack Straw has spent 13 years in the cabinet without ever quite reaching the top. He talks about the art of survival, reform of the Lords and why he supported the Iraq war.”

Full story

The Guardian, 29th March 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Jack Straw backs Lords reform despite Mandelson opposition – The Guardian

“The justice secretary, Jack Straw, has insisted that, despite Lord Mandelson’s opposition, Labour is poised to announce its commitment to an elected second chamber to replace the House of Lords.”

Full story

The Guardian, 29th March 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

MPs warned: cheat on expenses and face ‘a ton of bricks’ – The Guardian

“The parliamentary watchdog has warned MPs that his organisation will come down on them ‘like a ton of bricks’ if they break new expenses rules, saying those who cheat could be fined or have pay docked.”

Full story

The Guardian, 22nd March 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Guidance for parliamentary candidates published – Ministry of Justice

“Guidance to candidates standing at the parliamentary general election on publishing declarations of interests, is published today.”

Full story

Minsitry of Justice, 22nd March 2010

Source: www.justice.gov.uk

Charging decision regarding Baroness Uddin – Crown Prosecution Service

“Keir Starmer QC, Director of Public Prosecutions, today announced that there will be no charges in relation to Baroness Uddin’s claims for parliamentary expenses.”

Full press release

Crown Prosecution Service, 12th March 2010

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

No expenses charges for baroness – BBC News

“Labour peer Baroness Uddin will not face charges over her expenses, the Crown Prosecution Service has said.”

Full story

BBC News, 12th March 2010

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Trevor Phillips accused of trying to influence equalities watchdog inquiry – The Guardian

“Trevor Phillips, the head of the equalities watchdog, was today accused of attempting to influence an official inquiry into his work and may face a high-level investigation into allegations that his actions amount to contempt of both houses of parliament.”

Full story

The Guardian, 10th February 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Former judge hits out at ‘damaging’ penalties as he grants MPs’ expenses appeals – The Guardian

“Sir Paul Kennedy, the former judge ­dealing with MPs’ appeals against demands for repayments after the expenses ­scandal, was deeply critical of the ­’damaging and unfair’ penalties today as he granted the majority of the 75 appeals.”

Full story

The Guardian, 4th February 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Ministers passing too many ‘bad’ laws, say ex mandarins – BBC News

“The way Britain is governed has gone wrong and is in urgent need of reform, a group of former Whitehall chiefs has warned in a highly critical report.”

Full story

BBC News, 27th January 2010

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Watchdog launches consultation on MPs’ expenses – The Guardian

“A five-week public consultation on the reform of MPs’ expenses was launched today as the new parliamentary expenses watchdog appeared to soften proposals on MPs claiming for second homes and employing family members.”

Full story

The Guardian, 7th January 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Trafigura returns to court in attempt to suppress lawsuit documents – The Guardian

“Trafigura, the offshore oil trader that became notorious for legal attempts to suppress reporting of parliament, is going back to Britain’s judges tomorrow.”

Full story

The Guardian, 7th January 2010

Source: www.guardian.co.uk