Law and religion round-up – 2nd July

“Hey Siri, what does ‘independent’ mean?”…

… and yes, Siri did give definitions which accorded with our understanding of the word.

So it’s farewell to the Bill of Rights Bill

On Tuesday, Justice Secretary Alex Chalk KC announced at Oral Questions in the Commons that “Having carefully considered the Government’s legislative programme in the round, I can inform the House that we have decided not to proceed with the Bill of Rights, but the Government remain committed to a human rights framework that is up to date, fit for purpose and works for the British people”. The Parliament website now states that the Bill has been withdrawn.

Dominic Raab subsequently told The Times: “It is disappointing to see this major Conservative reform, which can strengthen freedom of speech and help us deport more foreign criminals, dropped from the government’s agenda. All the wrong people will celebrate.” No surprise there, then.

Charity law (Scotland) Continue reading