On Wednesday 24 July 2024, JUSTICE briefed House of Lords peers ahead of their debate on the new government’s legislative proposals concerning justice and home affairs set out in the King’s Speech. The briefing details JUSTICE’s comments and suggestions for the improvement of several of the proposed Bills.
Border Security, Asylum, and Immigration Bill
JUSTICE welcomed the Government’s commitment to scrap the Migration and Economic Development Partnership with Rwanda and recommended using the Bill as an opportunity to repeal the Illegal Migration Act 2023 and the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act 2024. We also cautioned against the use of fast-track procedures, encouraging the improvement of Home Office decision-making as the preferable means of making the asylum system efficient.
Crime and Policing Bill
JUSTICE’s briefing on the Bill:
- Welcomed the Government’s commitments to improving policing standards and suggested further steps to improve relations between the police and public, particularly Black and racialised communities;
- Highlighted that, while desirable, the strengthening of the police response to violence against women and girls must be informed by a holistic approach to violence prevention;
- Suggested steps the Government should take to go further in providing opportunities to help children move away from crime;
- Briefed against the introduction of a new specific offence of assaulting a shopworker and the Government’s plans to expand Public Spaces Protections Orders and introduce “Respect Orders” into the 2014 Antisocial Behaviour Crime and Policing Act.
Victims, Courts, and Public Protection Bill
JUSTICE welcomed the Government’s commitment to provide additional support for victims and advocated for similar support to be extended to bereaved people and survivors in inquests and inquiries. We also briefed against a requirement for defendants to attend sentencing hearings as means of achieving closure for victims of crime and using Associate Prosecutors to resolve delays in the court system, which are best addressed by targeting the systemic issues underlying the shortage of available barristers.
Renters’ Rights Bill
JUSTICE endorsed the Renters’ Rights Bill, expressing support for the abolition of “no fault” evictions, the application of Awaab’s law and the Decent Homes Standard to the private sector, as well as the proposal to increase dispute resolution for housing disputes. We urged the Government to be careful in creating a new Ombudsman service without addressing the disaggregated housing advice landscape, recommending the creation of a one-stop-shop or entry point to existing redress schemes.
Draft Equality (Race and Disability) Bill
While endorsing its existing scope, JUSTICE advocated for the Bill to be used as an opportunity to tackle wider problems with enforcing equality and anti-discrimination protections, highlighting concerns about the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s ability to effectively enforce equality law and recommending the introduction of a mandatory requirement for public authorities to carry out high-quality Equality Impact Assessments while developing policy and legislation.
Hillsborough Law
Having repeatedly called for the introduction of a legal duty of candour on public servants and authorities, JUSTICE welcomed the Government’s commitment to introducing such a duty and highlighted the 2017 Public Authority (Accountability) Bill as providing an appropriate framework for implementing this commitment, underlining the need for the duty to be enforceable.
Northern Ireland Legacy Legislation
JUSTICE expressed support for the government’s commitment to repealing the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 in light of the concerns regarding the compatibility of the 2023 Act’s conditional immunity provisions with the Good Friday Agreement and the UK’s ECHR-derived positive obligations.
King’s Speech – Justice and Home Affairs (July 2024)
Read our briefing here.