How it started. And how it is (still) going.

Our book on Structural Injustice and the Law, co-edited with Jo Wolff, with an outstanding list of contributors, has a beautiful cover.

It is coming out later this year open access with UCL Press

The Upper Tribunal has decided DWP’s transitional protection arrangements breach the human rights of universal credit claimants in temporary or supported housing.

Families had been suddenly losing protection on leaving such housing - losing potentially hundreds per month.

A significant court decision for housing and community care lawyers, as well as benefits advisers: Secretary of State for Work and Pensions v JA [2024] UKUT 52 (AAC):
bailii.org/uk/cases/UKUT/…

🔔 Catch our latest AI Awareness video

TT Arvind York Law School talks about the challenges of creating AI systems that are socially safe and trustworthy, and drew on the use of AI in real-world scenarios, such as policing, medical triage and social care.

🎧 youtu.be/amSRXEGe8Wg

As a social security lawyer, I try to use the word ‘Kafkaesque’ sparingly - but consider this:
(1) It is *impossible* to apply for backdating when claiming UC
(2) DWP argued that if you asked for backdating after your claim was decided, you were too late!

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions v Miah [2024] EWCA Civ 186 - important Court of Appeal decision today, on Universal Credit. Government loses ‘backdating’ appeal. Court describes backdating UC claims process as ‘very unsatisfactory’

The news will be all about Galloway today - that’s why the government published these 13 immigration inspection reports in one go yesterday, to bury them.

But the scale & degree of chaos, mismanagement, dereliction of duty & incompetence they reveal is astounding, truly #r4today

Went through some of this last night, and more this morning, and it just keeps throwing up absolute horrors. These aren't isolated failings of the Home Office. In any normal state of affairs this would raise alarm bells. Instead it has been dumped out in the hope no-one notices.

The Home Office stole Alma's status, leaving her with no way of proving her rights. One day they told her it's all fine, it will be extended, and the next:

🚨 'Your permission to be in the UK has expired'. 🚨

Imagine this happens to you. How do you sort it? The Home Office “help” line is no such thing.

Your employer sacks you. You have no job.

Your landlord evicts you. You have no home.

Your bank freezes your account. You have no money.

You are *totally* screwed.

Tom Royston Fair play to our client, her daughter and her amazing support worker. And thanks so much to Tom Royston and Thomas de la Mare for acting in this case. Fantastic lawyering from them and from Claire Hall. Long time since the FTT hearing to here.

The Secretary of State must move swiftly to apply the ruling and ensure no one is forced to live in unacceptable conditions. No child deserves to live in poverty, let alone in destitution, without their basic needs for food, clothing and shelter met.

NEW legal ruling:
cpag.org.uk/news/supreme-c…

Stopping mums fleeing domestic abuse from receiving the financial support they need turns our social security system on its head. This ruling provides crucial protection for some of the most vulnerable families in the UK. 1/2

See note by Alexa Thompson (she/her) gcnchambers.co.uk/secretary-of-s…

More positive legal news: the Supreme Court has refused the DWP permission to appeal the ruling in 'AT', so the legal position is now settled that EU citizens with pre-settled status but no other right to reside are entitled to Universal Credit.
gcnchambers.co.uk/secretary-of-s…

UKSC evidently agrees with EU Rights and Brexit Hub - EWCA comprehensively showed that the Secretary of State is wrong, wrong, wrong:
eurightshub.york.ac.uk/blog/court-of-…

This is BIG NEWS: the Court of Appeal so effectively trounced the SSWP's arguments (rehearsed over SIX hearings in 1 case) that it needn't consider the most basic needs of vulnerable EU nationals, that the Supreme Court has refused permission to appeal! SSWP is BOUND by AT jdgmt!

🚨 Department of Politics and International Relations is launching a new MA in Gender and Politics. I'm so excited to be working on this with fantastic colleagues. Please check it out, share it with your students, and get in touch with any Qs: york.ac.uk/study/postgrad…

Reasons to be cheerful, Part Three