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MPs Tom Watson and David Davis have won a High Court battle challenging surveillance laws that allowed police and security services to “spy on citizens” without adequate safeguards. The court ruled that the Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act 2014 was “inconsistent with EU law” and ordered that s 1 should be dis-applied. The Act was fast-tracked through Parliament last July, and allowed security agencies to gather information about who suspects contact by telephone and email. The court’s order was suspended until after 31 March 2016 to give Parliament time to reconsider data retention laws in the light of the ruling. The Home Secretary was given permission to appeal.
MPs Tom Watson and David Davis have won a High Court battle challenging surveillance laws that allowed police and security services to “spy on citizens” without adequate safeguards. The court ruled that the Data Retention and Investigatory Powers Act 2014 was “inconsistent with EU law” and ordered that s 1 should be dis-applied. The Act was fast-tracked through Parliament last July, and allowed security agencies to gather information about who suspects contact by telephone and email. The court’s order was suspended until after 31 March 2016 to give Parliament time to reconsider data retention laws in the light of the ruling. The Home Secretary was given permission to appeal.
Update from the Chair of the Bar
By Clement Cowley, Partner at The Penny Group
Modernising communication and collaboration at a leading Chancery set. A Zexi case study
How to build profile without compromising professional duties. By Naumaan Farooq, Co-Founder of Inked PR
Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs, examines the role of cut-off levels, and the wider range of factors that must be considered when interpreting results for family court proceedings
Endometriosis Awareness North, a charity raising awareness of endometriosis and supporting those affected across the North of England, has received a £500 boost from AlphaBiolabs via the company’s Giving Back initiative
A decade of reviews and research has disrupted accepted thinking in the search for causality. Suicides following abuse have overtaken domestic homicides. Is the law keeping up? Professor Susan Edwards KC (Hon) examines recent cases and the obstacles to successful prosecution
The case against judge-only justice – and why efficiency is not enough. By Professor Leslie Thomas KC
Heritage as an anchor and a compass, finding our common humanity and embracing the power of the outsider – Melina Antoniadis’s lessons learnt
Seeing the full picture – Baljit Ubhey OBE outlines the CPS action plan to tackle violence against women and girls, offering insights directly relevant to courtroom practice
Lauren Fullerton examines the how, what and why of setting up a second chambers base
