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.
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.
The Trade (Australia and New Zealand) Bill is a government bill that is scheduled to have its second reading in the House of Lords on 9 January 2023. The bill would implement the government procurement chapters of the UK-Australia and UK-New Zealand free trade agreements in UK domestic law.
In Focus
Armed conflict affects many aspects of life. As well as the humanitarian toll it takes, conflicts often involve damage to and the destruction of cultural heritage as well as the looting of artefacts. This article looks at how cultural heritage has been deliberately targeted in recent conflicts, considers what international protections exist and discusses if they are fit for purpose.
In Focus
In 2021, the government said that “as a force for good in the world” the UK would remain “sensitive to the plight of refugees and asylum-seekers”. It stated it had a “proud track record” of protecting those who need it, in accordance with its international obligations. However, the government has also spoken of the need to reform the “broken” asylum system. In 2022 it introduced new measures to implement changes.
In Focus
The 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) was a landmark convention setting out rules relating to the world’s oceans and seas. The convention covers issues including territorial limits, resources and protection of the marine environment. In March 2022 the House of Lords International Affairs and Defence Committee published a report examining whether the convention was still fit for purpose.
In Focus
COP27 is an international climate change conference held under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). It stands for ‘conference of the parties’ and is the 27th meeting of the parties to the UNFCCC. COP27 was scheduled to run from 6 to 18 November 2022, but it ran into the weekend. It was held in Sharm El-Sheikh under Egypt’s presidency of the COP.
In Focus
The six countries that together comprise the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have long been criticised for their human rights records. The UK’s engagement with GCC members, whether bilaterally or collectively through recent trade negotiations, has drawn criticism as a result. Critics of continued engagement suggest it could risk the UK being seen to condone continuing human rights abuses, although the UK government maintains that it regularly raises human rights concerns with GCC partners.
In Focus
The UK assesses China as a priority country for tackling human rights issues. The UK believes there is compelling evidence of widespread and systematic abuses of the human rights of the Uyghur minority in China’s Xinjiang province. The House of Commons passed a resolution describing this as genocide, but the UK government’s position is that only the courts can make such a determination.
In Focus
On 2 November 2022, the African Union announced a peace agreement had been reached between the Ethiopian government and Tigrayan forces. The truce followed nearly two years of intermittent fighting between the two, which has also drawn in troops from neighbouring Eritrea. A recent UN report concluded there were reasonable grounds to believe that extrajudicial killings, rape, sexual violence and starvation of the civilian population had been used as a method of warfare during the conflict.
Research Briefing
The Northern Ireland Protocol Bill is due to have its second reading in the House of Lords on 11 October 2022. It would exclude some provisions of the Northern Ireland Protocol from applying in domestic law. The government says this is justified by necessity and consistent with international law, but others have disagreed. The bill’s wide use of delegated powers has also been criticised.
In Focus
Corruption can be defined as dishonest and illegal behaviour by people in positions of power. It threatens national security, reduces access to services, erodes public trust in institutions and impedes investment. Measures of corruption produced by organisations such as Transparency International indicate stability in the UK’s recent global corruption rank. However, anti-corruption experts have pointed to a number of recent scandals which are leading to the perception that corruption in the UK is worsening.
Research Briefing
The Genocide Determination Bill [HL] 2022–23 is a private member’s bill proposed by Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench).The bill is scheduled to have its second reading in the House of Lords on 28 October 2022.
In Focus
Conflict over sovereignty rights to the Falkland Islands has been ongoing for centuries. In the modern era this dispute has been between the United Kingdom and Argentina, which escalated into war 40 years ago, when Argentina invaded the Islands. This article examines the competing sovereignty claims over the Falkland Islands.
In Focus
The Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA) provides the statutory basis in UK law for the protection of human rights and freedoms. The government recently published plans to replace the act with a UK bill of rights. This article looks at what the HRA does, why the government wants to reform it, and what the reaction has been to the proposed bill of rights and other reform plans.
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