• In Focus

    Pride in the UK: From its roots to today

    On 1 July 1972 the UK’s first Pride march was held in London. This date was chosen as the nearest Saturday to the anniversary of the riots, or uprising, at the Stonewall Inn in 1969, where LGBT+ patrons had been targeted by the New York Police Department. Liberation organisations were inspired to action, and Pride marches have since become annual events throughout the UK and around the world. This LGBT+ history month, this article explores 50 years of Pride.

  • Research Briefing

    Pensions Dashboards (Prohibition of Indemnification) Bill: HL Bill 92 of 2022–23

    Pensions dashboards are new online services that will allow individuals to see information about their pensions online. The Pensions Dashboards Regulations 2022 place certain obligations on pension schemes, including a requirement to connect to the dashboard services. The Pensions Regulator has the power to issue a financial penalty for any breach of the regulations. The Pensions Dashboards (Prohibition of Indemnification) Bill would make it a criminal offence for occupational or personal pension scheme trustees or managers who receive a financial penalty under the Pensions Dashboards Regulations 2022 to reimburse themselves with pension scheme assets.

  • Current Affairs Digest

    Current Affairs Digest: Home Affairs (February 2023)

    In January 2023, the self-proclaimed misogynist Andrew Tate was arrested in Romania following allegations of human trafficking and rape. His arrest led to a renewed focus on the spread of misogynistic ideas to young men. This article focuses on concerns that the consumption of online content, like that produced by Mr Tate, can have real world consequences, and questions what should be done to tackle it.

  • In Focus

    National plan for sport, health and wellbeing: Committee report

    In December 2021, the House of Lords National Plan for Sport and Recreation Committee published a report examining participation in sports and recreation across the UK population. In its report, the committee expressed concern at the high levels of physical inactivity at grassroots level, particularly amongst underrepresented groups such as disabled people and ethnic minorities. It made several recommendations to address this, including calling on the government to develop a new plan for sport, health and wellbeing.

  • Research Briefing

    OFCOM (Duty regarding Prevention of Serious Self-harm and Suicide) Bill [HL]: HL Bill 18 of 2022–23

    The OFCOM (Duty regarding Prevention of Serious Self-harm and Suicide) Bill [HL] is a private member’s bill that has been introduced in the House of Lords by Baroness Finlay of Llandaff (Crossbench). Amongst its provisions, the bill would require Ofcom to establish a unit to advise the government on the extent of content on social media platforms which could be seen to encourage self-harm or suicide.

  • Research Briefing

    Education (Non-religious Philosophical Convictions) Bill [HL]: HL Bill 29 of 2022–23

    The Education (Non-religious Philosophical Convictions) Bill [HL] is a private member’s bill sponsored by Baroness Burt of Solihull (Liberal Democrat). It would introduce an explicit requirement for schools in England to include non-religious worldviews such as humanism in religious education (RE). The House of Lords is scheduled to debate the bill at second reading on 3 February 2023.

  • Research Briefing

    Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill: HL Bill 89 of 2022–23

    The Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill is due to have its second reading in the House of Lords on 6 February 2023. The bill would automatically revoke, or ‘sunset’, most retained EU law at the end of 2023. However it would also give ministers powers to exempt some retained EU law from the sunset and to restate, reproduce, replace or update retained EU law by statutory instrument.

  • In Focus

    UK-Rwanda asylum agreement: Why is it a memorandum of understanding and not a treaty?

    The UK government has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the government of Rwanda to establish an asylum transfer scheme. Unlike treaties, MoUs are not required to be laid before Parliament prior to being ratified. In October 2022, the House of Lords International Agreements Committee published a report which criticised the government for using an MoU for the agreement. The subject is due to be debated in the House of Lords on 6 February 2023.

  • Research Briefing

    Online Safety Bill: HL Bill 87 of 2022–23

    The Online Safety Bill is a government bill that would establish a regulatory framework for certain online service providers. It would also create several new offences relating to online harms including offences of false communications, threatening communications, sending or showing flashing images electronically (‘epilepsy trolling’) and sending photographs or films of genitals (‘cyberflashing’). The government has said it will bring forward several amendments to the bill in the House of Lords including new offences relating to intimate images and promoting self-harm, criminal sanctions for senior managers of non-compliant providers, and promotion of small boat crossings.

  • In Focus

    Commission on Young Lives: National plan for vulnerable young people

    The Commission on Young Lives was an independent group formed to design a new national system to prevent crisis in vulnerable young people and to boost their life chances and educational prospects. The commission published a report in November 2022 which made recommendations to government, local authorities, police and others to tackle the “deep-rooted” problems facing vulnerable youths. The commission’s “centrepiece recommendation” was for a “sure start plus for teenagers” network of intervention and support.

  • Research Briefing

    Water Safety (Curriculum) Bill [HL]: HL Bill 28 of 2022–23

    On 19 May 2023, the second reading of the Water Safety (Curriculum) Bill [HL] is scheduled to take place in the House of Lords. The bill is a private member’s bill introduced by Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat). The bill seeks to make it compulsory to include water safety education in the curriculum for all schools (primary and secondary) in England and Wales.

  • In Focus

    Arrival of the Empire Windrush: Celebrating the 75th anniversary

    National Windrush Day on 22 June 2023 will mark the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the passengers of the Empire Windrush to the UK. The day celebrates the contribution and achievements of the Windrush generation and their descendants. This briefing provides background information for a debate in the House of Lords on the government’s plans to mark this celebration.

  • In Focus

    International Holocaust Memorial Day 2023

    Friday 27 January 2023 is International Holocaust Memorial Day, marking the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in Poland on the same day in 1945. On this annual day of commemoration, the United Nations urges every member state to honour the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and millions of other victims of Nazism, and to develop educational programs to help prevent future genocides.

  • In Focus

    The Commonwealth: Zimbabwe’s return?

    In 2003, Zimbabwe withdrew from the Commonwealth following a suspension for human rights violations. In 2018, the country began the process of rejoining the organisation. This process is ongoing. However, it has been argued that Zimbabwe should not be allowed to rejoin as it does not meet the required standards in respect of its human rights record, democratic processes and institutions and rule of law.

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