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17th April 2024

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INDUSTRY
Justice secretary indicates delay for juryless rape trials
The justice secretary has indicated that a pilot scheme to hold rape trials without juries present will be delayed until late 2028. Angela Constance stated that she would listen to concerns from MSPs and the legal profession regarding the proposal in the Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill. The plan for juryless rape trials has been met with controversy, with the Law Society of Scotland arguing that trial by jury for serious crimes is a "basic right" and should not be scrapped. The Justice Committee in Holyrood was divided on the proposal, with SNP members in favour and Labour and Conservative members opposed. Constance's letter to the committee outlined a timeline for the implementation of various provisions in the Bill, with the sexual offenses court set to be implemented in the fourth quarter of 2026 and the pilot for juryless rape trials in the fourth quarter of 2028. The Government will explore the possibility of a panel system for the pilot scheme, where two lay members would sit alongside the judge to decide on rape cases.
Truss: Left-wing legal establishment hinders border control
Elected politicians struggle to control borders due to the power of the Left-wing legal establishment, Liz Truss argues. Writing in the Telegraph, the former Prime Minister says the judiciary, through judicial reviews, has tied up British governments in challenges to policies on welfare, immigration, and Brexit. She argues that Tony Blair's policies made it harder for elected politicians to get things done and increased the power of the unelected, while the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 reduced the power of the Lord Chancellor and created a self-appointing judiciary. This has hindered the Government's ability to deliver policies and has given more power to the courts and lawyers, Truss says, adding that to restore democratic accountability, the Supreme Court should be abolished, the Judicial Appointments Commission dismantled, and the Lord Chancellor's full role reinstated.



 
THE LAW
Smoking ban secures Westminster support despite rebellion
The UK Government's Tobacco and Vapes Bill - which will ban the sale of tobacco products to anyone born after 1 January 2009, impose new restrictions on vape flavours and packaging, and boost enforcement powers - has been backed by MPs at Westminster, with Labour support ensuring the Bill's passage despite opposition from dozens of Conservative MPs in the free vote, including former Prime Ministers Liz Truss and Boris Johnson. With votes in the House of Lords still to come, the Bill could become law before the general election. The devolved administrations have agreed to back the Bill, with a Legislative Consent Motion to be brought at Holyrood for it to come into force in Scotland.
House of Lords votes for amendments to Rwanda deportation bill
The Rwanda deportation bill was delayed after the House of Lords voted for amendments to ensure adherence to international and key domestic laws. Home Office sources believe the bill will still be passed by the end of the week. Labour is not expected to vote against the bill. The House of Lords voted for protections for claimants and requirements for independent monitoring. They also insisted on restoring the jurisdiction of domestic courts and exempting certain individuals from removal.



 
PROPERTY
Councillors back major upgrade of Aberdeenshire aquarium
Aberdeenshire Council's Banff and Buchan area committee has granted planning permission for the £5.7m expansion of the Macduff Marine Aquarium, one of Aberdeenshire's most-visited attractions. The plans, backed by the UK Government's Levelling Up Fund, include the modernisation of the existing building and a new two-storey extension, including greater use of new technology to give visitors a more immersive experience, and a new first-floor café with an outdoor viewing platform looking out over the North Sea.
DATA PRIVACY
Proposed account monitoring powers branded unlawful
Plans to monitor the bank accounts of benefits claimants have been branded unlawful, prompting calls on the Government to scrap the initiative. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) wants the power to require banks to trawl accounts of state benefit recipients to reduce fraud and error. However, lawyers argue that this would breach privacy and freedom of expression rights. Silkie Carlo, director of Big Brother Watch, warned that the powers represented a “completely unprecedented regime of intrusive generalised financial surveillance across the population, not restricted to serious crime or even crime at all.”
EMPLOYMENT
Wage growth outstripping inflation at strongest rate in years
Latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show real wages have increased - raising questions about whether the Bank of England will press ahead with an expected cut to interest rates this summer. Average regular pay, excluding bonuses, stood at 6% in the three months to February compared with 12 months earlier. In real terms, when the rate of inflation is factored in, wage growth by the same measure was 2.4% - the highest level between July and September 2021. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate in the UK rose to 4.2% in February, higher than the expected 4%, also leading to concerns that employers are starting to lay off staff due to high interest rates.
Union pay demands could outstrip council funding
The Daily Record reports that there are growing concerns that current local authority funding will not be sufficient for councils to meet trade union pay demands ahead of negotiations between unions and COSLA for 2024/25. The paper reports that councils are understood to have sufficient funding to cover an increase of around 3%, while a council sources says unions "are looking for an average of 7-8%, and more for the lowest paid workers to continue progress towards a minimum hourly rate of £15". "It is clear", the source said, "that without additional funding from the Scottish Government there is the very real prospect of strikes, which will affect schools and other local services."
INDEPENDENCE
'Democratic route' important for 'unresolved' issue of independence
Roz Foyer, general secretary of the STUC, has warned UK political parties against seeking to shut down any possible routes to Scottish independence, saying independence is "an unresolved issue", with the STUC believing it is "important there is a democratic route that people can use should they wish to express the wish to have another referendum". Ms Foyer has welcomed Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer's plans to strengthen workers' rights, and has called for any future Labour Government to look into the devolution of powers over employment legislation "very quickly". Ms Foyer also called for a boost to local authority funding, saying councils have "faced serious cuts and they have seen the impact of austerity over the past ten years and more now, and it has to stop".
HOLYROOD
Boundaries Scotland publishes revised constituency map
Boundaries Scotland has published a new map of proposed changes to Scotland's 73 Holyrood constituency areas, following widespread objections to previous proposals. Under the new proposals, 27 constituencies would remain entirely unchanged, retaining their names and borders, two constituencies, Fife North East and Airdrie, would have the same borders but be renamed to distinguish them from the Westminster constituencies of North East Fife and Airdrie and Shotts, 23 constituencies would have their boundaries redrawn but retain their names, and 21 constituencies would be formed with new names and boundaries. Boundaries Scotland chair Prof. Ailsa Henderson said the body is now seeking public comment on the revised proposals, adding: "We think we have managed to address the vast majority of concerns while also following the rules as set out in legislation." 
ECONOMY
Haldane: BoE used inflation forecast based on pencil drawing
Former Bank of England chief economist Andy Haldane has revealed that an early inflation forecast used by the central bank was based on a pencil sketch by a former governor. Writing in the Financial Times, Mr Haldane described economic forecasting as "largely performative, typically opaque, nine parts art to one part science." The revelation that hand drawn projections were used in the early days comes amid intense scrutiny of the Bank's forecasting abilities. Incoming deputy governor Clare Lombardelli has promised to "radically reform" the Bank's approach to forecasting and went on to deny any groupthink between the Bank and the Treasury, stating that close links between the two institutions do not threaten the Bank's independence.
 


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