header-logo header-logo

LNB News: The3million and others welcome Court of Appeal's judgment that UK immigration exemption is unlawful

27 May 2021
Categories: Legal News , Immigration & asylum , Data protection , EU
printer mail-detail
On 26 May 2021 the Court of Appeal unanimously ruled in R (on the application of Open Rights Group and another) v Secretary of State for the Home Department and another (Liberty and another intervening) [2021] EWCA Civ 800 that the so-called 'immigration exemption' in paragraph 4 of Schedule 2 to the Data Protection Act 2018, which restricts certain data subject rights, was incompatible with Article 23 of the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR). 

Lexis®Library update: The EU GDPR has now been replaced by the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) following the end of the Brexit transition period, but the court noted that the UK GDPR has the same legal status in the UK today as the EU GDPR had before that date and that differences between Article 23 of the EU GDPR and UK GDPR were not material.

The decision was welcomed by the3million, a campaign organisation for EU citizens in the UK, and by the Open Rights Group.

Sahdya Darr, Open Rights Group’s Immigration Policy Manager said 'This is a momentous day. The Court of Appeal has recognised that the Immigration Exemption drives a huge hole through data protection law, allowing the Government to deny access to information that may be being used to deny people their rights. If the Government holds information about you, it should only be in the most exceptional circumstances that it is denied to you, such as during a criminal investigation. Treating all immigrants like criminals and suspects is simply wrong.'

The question of what relief should follow the court's decision will be the subject of separate argument.

Further analysis of this decision will follow.

Source: Immigration Exemption judged unlawful, excessive, wrong by Court of Appeal

This content was first published by LNB News / Lexis®Library, a LexisNexis® company, on 26 May 2021 and is published with permission. Further information can be found at: www.lexisnexis.co.uk.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Hugh James—Phil Edwards

Hugh James—Phil Edwards

Serious injury teambolstered by high-profile partner hire

Freeths—Melanie Stancliffe

Freeths—Melanie Stancliffe

Firm strengthens employment team with partner hire

DAC Beachcroft—Tim Barr

DAC Beachcroft—Tim Barr

Lawyers’ liability practice strengthened with partner appointment in London

NEWS
Tech companies will be legally required to prevent material that encourages or assists serious self-harm appearing on their platforms, under Online Safety Act 2023 regulations due to come into force in the autumn
Commercial leasehold, the defence of insanity and ‘consent’ in the criminal law are among the next tranche of projects for the Law Commission
The Bar has a culture of ‘impunity’ and ‘collusive bystanding’ in which making a complaint is deemed career-ending due to a ‘cohort of untouchables’ at the top, Baroness Harriet Harman KC has found
Lawyers have broadly welcomed plans to electronically tag up to 22,000 more offenders, scrap most prison terms below a year and make prisoners ‘earn’ early release
The ex-wife of a Russian billionaire has won her bid to bring her financial relief claim in London, in a unanimous Court of Appeal decision
back-to-top-scroll