The Law of Nations
  • Home
  • About
  • Public International Law
  • Private International Law
  • Arbitration
  • Podcasts
  • Contact Us
News Round-up 0

The view from outside – the week in review 4 – 10 March 2019

Matrix’s Legal Support Service will provide The view from outside, a weekly look at the UK’s relationship with the outside world.

By Legal Support Service · On March 11, 2019

UK & other courts

The Supreme Court has handed down judgment in KV (Sri Lanka) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2019] UKSC 10, in effect directing the Home Office and immigration tribunal judges to follow the Istanbul Protocol and give weight to expert medical evidence when determining asylum seekers’ torture claims.

UK and the UN

Just for Kids Law, which provides legal advice and representation to young people, has been given permission to bring a claim against the Home Office, arguing that the use of children as spies is incompatible with international law, in particular the UN convention on the rights of the child.

The Times has reported that the UN has criticised the UK over the lack of legal recourse available in environmental disputes.

Evaluation of UK’s international obligations

A report by the International development committee has stated that the UK Government’s migration policy is ‘disconnected and incoherent’, praising efforts by the Department for International Development, but stating that work was undermined by the Home Office’s approach to asylum seekers and refugees.

The Foreign Office has escalated its conflict with Iran over the imprisonment of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe by granting her diplomatic protection, a step that raises her case from a consular matter to the level of a dispute between the two states.

UK’s post-Brexit relationship with the EU

Theresa May has announced that left-behind towns in England are to get a £1.6bn funding boost as part of a package of measures to win support for her Brexit deal among Labour MPs, though they have said the new cash would not buy their votes. Conservative MPs have also expressed disquiet at the fund.

The European Research Group of Brexiteer MPs has set three tests against which the prime minister’s renegotiation can be measured, including demands for a ‘clear and unconditional’ route out of the backstop and language that ‘must go beyond simply re-emphasising/re-interpreting the temporary nature’ of the arrangement.

Michel Barnier has warned that a delay to Britain’s exit date from the EU is ‘unavoidable,’ even if MPs sign off Theresa May’s deal later this month.

Theresa May has been urged to whip Conservative MPs to keep a no-deal Brexit on the table if her EU agreement is defeated when it comes back for a second crunch Commons vote. Meanwhile, Attorney General Geoffrey Cox has risked fresh anger from Conservative Brexiteers amid reports he has shelved attempts to try and put a time limit or unilateral exit clause on the controversial Northern Ireland backstop.

Former UK ambassador to the EU Sir Ivan Rogers has stated that Theresa May and her circle of advisers did not understand how the EU works, and consequently followed a negotiating strategy in 2016 that was doomed to fail.

For The UK in a Changing Europe Dr Kitty Stewart has discussed the major risks posed to UK social policy of leaving the EU.

Theresa May has been accused of mounting a fresh attempt to ‘bribe’ Labour MPs into voting for her Brexit deal with a promise of new workers’ rights measures. Meanwhile Jeremy Corbyn has met Conservative former ministers promoting a Norway-style Brexit, raising the possibility that Labour could join a cross-party majority to force Theresa May’s hand.

France’s Europe minister, Nathalie Loiseau, has urged Britain to offer fresh proposals to end the Brexit impasse, warning that uncertainty surrounding the UK’s departure from the EU is affecting its neighbours. However, Downing Street has insisted the meaningful vote on Theresa May’s Brexit deal will go ahead as promised on Tuesday, despite negotiations in Brussels stumbling.

Jeremy Hunt has stated that relations with the EU will be ‘poisoned for many years to come’ if Brussels fails to budge in the Brexit talks, as the cabinet ministers leading the negotiations put on hold tentative plans to return to the Belgian capital. Meanwhile, in a last-ditch speech to Brussels, Theresa May is to call on the EU to make concessions on the Irish border.

Theresa May’s Brexit strategy has been dealt a fresh blow as peers voted 207-141 to defeat the Government over its plans for Britain’s post-EU customs ties. She is also making contingency plans amid the expectation she will lose the Commons vote on her Brexit deal again next week, as Downing Street fears her authority will be swept away. The Financial Times has published an article discussing whether Theresa May could get her deal through Parliament.

Legal Support Service

Legal Support Service

The Legal Support Service provide research and paralegal support to Matrix members – whether by finding legal information (cases, legislation, articles, reports etc), producing bundles of authorities for court, or carrying out more substantial research. They also collate daily current awareness bulletins, covering Matrix’s major areas of practice, manage our intranet and extranets and administer the freelance research panel.




You Might Also Like

  • News Round-up

    The week in review- 13 January- 20 January 2020

  • News Round-up

    The week in review – 6 January 2020- 13 January 2020

  • News Round-up

    The week in review- 30 December 2019- 5 January 2020

No Comments

Leave a reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Mailing List

Sign up to our Mailing List

Categories

  • Arbitration
  • Book Review
  • Brexit
  • Business and Human Rights
  • Comparative Law
  • Constitutional Law
  • Criminal Law
  • Environmental Law
  • From the editors
  • Human Rights
  • International Trade
  • News Round-up
  • Podcasts
  • Private International Law
  • Public International Law
  • Uncategorized

Archives

  • November 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016

From Twitter

  • New post: why depriving Shamima Begum of her UK citizenship violates international law. https://t.co/I51X5qT8um… https://t.co/FF0p3hqE8Q

© Matrix Chambers. All rights reserved. | Accessibility | Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy