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16 September 2020 / Khawar Qureshi KC
Issue: 7902 / Categories: Opinion , Brexit , Constitutional law
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An overarching duty to comply with the law?

27505
The UK Internal Market Bill: ‘Minor clarifications’ and the Rule of Law. Khawar Qureshi QC tracks events in Parliament so far this month

The astonishing admission on 8 September 2020 by the Conservative Government through the Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis, that it was seeking to adopt legislation which would (if enacted) violate International Law, albeit engaging in the now (sadly) characteristic sophistry by adding ‘only in a specific and limited way’ to effect ‘minor clarifications", should be seen for what it is - continuation of the destructive trend towards unilateralism and erosion of trust in the rules based system.

On 19 October 2019, Boris Johnson described the Withdrawal Agreement (the Treaty) which he signed on behalf of the UK as ‘an excellent deal’ which would ‘take this country and the whole of Europe forward’.

On 23 January 2020 the EU Withdrawal Act (the Act), Section 7A thereof sought to give domestic effect to the Treaty, specifically by the means set out in Article 4 of

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Bellevue Law—Lianne Craig

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NEWS
The Supreme Court has delivered a decisive ruling on termination under the JCT Design & Build form. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Singer KC and Jonathan Ward, of Kings Chambers, analyse Providence Building Services v Hexagon Housing Association [2026] UKSC 1, which restores the first-instance decision and curbs contractors’ termination rights for repeated late payment
Secondments, disciplinary procedures and appeal chaos all feature in a quartet of recent rulings. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Smith, barrister and emeritus professor of employment law at UEA, examines how established principles are being tested in modern disputes
The AI revolution is no longer a distant murmur—it’s at the client’s desk. Writing in NLJ this week, Peter Ambrose, CEO of The Partnership and Legalito, warns that the ‘AI chickens’ have ‘come home to roost’, transforming not just legal practice but the lawyer–client relationship itself
A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
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