Death Penalty: A History of UK Capital Punishment
A History of Capital Punishment in the UK Capital punishment, the use of the death penalty by the state, originated in the Anglo-Saxon era and continued until 1965 when the death penalty was abolished. Initially, the primary way to carry out the sentence was by a primitive form of hanging, placing a noose around the […]
Right to Repair Law to be Introduced this Summer
A new law is due to be introduced this summer giving consumers in the UK the ‘right to repair’ on the electronic goods they buy. The new law aims to extend the lifespan of appliances such as fridges, TVs and washing machines by up to ten years and to make them cheaper to run through […]
Statutory Declaration: A Complete Guide
Despite their historic origins, dating back almost two hundred years, statutory declarations are still commonly used to allow an individual to declare something to be true for the purposes of satisfying some legal requirement or regulation, often when no other evidence is available to prove the matter in question. The following guide examines the nature […]
Guide to UK Obscenity Laws
The obscenity laws in the UK are not limited to a single piece of legislation, nor indeed any one criminal offence. Following the introduction of the Obscene Publications Act 1959 — the first statute to criminalise the publication of obscene material — there are now a number of obscenity-related offences under several different pieces of […]
How to Get a Non Molestation Order
For victims of domestic abuse, a non molestation order can be used to prevent your abuser from harassing you further. In this article, we explain how to apply to court to get a non molestation order and what to do if you need to make an emergency application. What is a non molestation order? A […]
How to avoid redundancy
Employers have to take steps to avoid redundancy by considering alternative measures. It is also generally in the organisation’s interests to exhaust all alternatives to redundancy, given the legal risks and impact on workforce morale that inevitably come with undertaking a redundancy process. The options to consider will depend on the employer’s reasons for redundancy and […]
UK Immigration Rules: Upcoming Changes Announced
The Home Office has published a Statement of Changes to the Immigration Rules, HC 1248. The majority of the amendments affect UK work and study visas under the points-based system, with most due to take effect on 6th April 2021, unless otherwise stated. Graduate route From 1 July 2021, student visa holders in the UK […]
Avoiding discrimination in recruitment
Under the Equality Act 2010, individuals are protected from unlawful discrimination in the workplace. Unlawful discrimination refers to unfair treatment because of a particular protected characteristic. These protections apply across the employment lifecycle, from the initial recruitment and selection stage, right through their period of employment to contract termination. This means an individual who has been discriminated […]
Stamp Duty Holiday Extended Until 30 June
The UK Chancellor has confirmed in his Budget today that the £500,000 threshold for stamp duty will remain in place until 30 June. Under the temporary rules, homebuyers in England and Northern Ireland can continue to benefit from a higher threshold for stamp duty on house purchases. The tax break can see some homebuyers save […]
Furlough Scheme Further Extended to September
The UK Chancellor has confirmed in the 2021 Budget that the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will be further extended until September 2021. The furlough scheme has been subject to earlier extensions. Most recently, it had been scheduled to end in April, following a planned phase out as government contributions were set to decrease gradually in the […]
8 New Freeports Set to Launch in England in 2021
Eight new freeport sites are to be launched later this year in England. The sites will be at East Midlands Airport, Liverpool, Felixstowe, Humber, Plymouth, Thames, Teesside, and Solent. Freeports are international gateways offering a number of benefits to businesses operating on the sites, including “more generous tax reliefs, simplified customs procedures and wider government […]
Employment case law update February 2021
Read on for our monthly digest for employers on upcoming employment law changes and key employment cases that have recently been decided. Employment status Uber BV v Aslam & Others The Supreme Court has upheld earlier courts’ rulings in a landmark decision that confirms Uber drivers are ‘workers’ and not self-employed subcontractors. The Court unanimously […]
Supreme Court Rules Uber Drivers Are ‘Workers’
The Supreme Court has upheld earlier courts’ rulings in a landmark decision that confirms Uber drivers are ‘workers’ and not self-employed subcontractors. The Court unanimously upheld a 2016 Employment Tribunal decision that said drivers are in a “position of subordination and dependancy to Uber“. While the decision relates to a limited number of drivers who […]
Employee signed off work with stress
Stress-related sickness absence has become increasingly prevalent in the workplace. Employers face a balancing act between supporting their employees’ wellbeing while minimising the risk of operational disruption and impact on other employees resulting from individuals being signed off work with stress. The pandemic in particular has placed unprecedented pressures on workers, whether adapting to remote […]
Withdrawing an offer of employment
Withdrawing an offer of employment is a decision not to be taken lightly. Before you take action, ensure you understand the legal risks of rescinding a job offer. In most cases, it is unlikely that an employer would want, or need, to withdraw a job offer once it has been accepted. However, even where an […]
Job restructuring rights: employers’ guide
Making changes to your organisational structure can raise a number of employment and HR issues. If the restructure involves a reduction in the workforce, the employer must ensure they are following the correct legal procedures and meeting employees’ rights through the process. Restructuring & redundancy By law, if you make an employee redundant it must […]
Bad Weather Policy (Employer Tips)
Extreme weather conditions can be hugely disruptive to business operations, if employees are snowed in at home, while others arrive several hours late due to travel disruption. Living in the UK, with its unpredictable and varied climate, it makes sense for employers to have a bad weather policy. This will help to minimise operational impact […]
Workplace stress & employer duty of care
Employers are under a legal duty to assess the risk of workplace stress for their workers and to take appropriate action to ensure their wellbeing. In addition to meeting the duty of care, employers should be concerned with the wider implications of work-related stress. Stress can significantly impact a business and its workforce, affecting absence, performance and […]
Latest UK COVID travel restrictions
What are the latest COVID travel restrictions affecting arrivals into the UK? Travel corridors closed All quarantine-free travel corridors for people arriving into the UK have been closed indefinitely, and all arrivals from anywhere outside the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man must now present a negative Covid-19 test issued no more than […]
Term time only contracts holiday pay rules
Calculating part-time workers’ holiday entitlement can quickly become a complicated matter. There is no single piece of legislation or guidance on the approach to take. However, employers are under an obligation both to ensure term-time workers receive at least the statutory minimum entitlement of 5.6 weeks’ paid annual leave a year, and that they are […]