The section is a new statutory offence of "Intentionally or recklessly causing public nuisance" and it has a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment. The section also provides a defence of "reasonable excuse" - see section 78(3).
The 2022 Act was a further step
Module 1 Report - The resilience and preparedness of the United Kingdom - UK Covid-19 Inquiry (covid19.public-inquiry.uk) - 240 pp. (pdf)
The report has to be read in full and it speaks for itself. I am therefore avoiding either analysis or precis. In any event, this report is the first of several. Each "module" will be followed by its own report.
That said, Baroness Hallett notes
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The State Opening of Parliament took place on 17 July 2024 amid the usual pomp and circumstance. In the House of Lords, HM King Charles III read 'The King's Speech' setting out the new (Labour) government's legislative plans -
The King's Speech 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
King’s Speech 2024: Full list of bills - Politics.co.uk
King's Speech 2024: Research and reading lists - House of Lords Library (parliament.uk) - research briefings and reading lists by subject area
The history and ceremonial of the State Opening are described at - State Opening of Parliament -history and ceremonial
References to Liz Truss removed from King’s Speech papers after ex-PM complains (msn.com)
Swearing in of the new Lord Chancellor - Courts and Tribunals Judiciary
Joshua Rozenberg describes the occasion on his substack - Rule of law - by Joshua Rozenberg - A Lawyer Writes (substack.com).
The appointees
The appointees are Shabana Mahmood, Richard Hermer KC (as Attorney-General) and Sarah Sackman MP as Solicitor General.
Shabana Mahmood has
I use the word "unenviable" because it is bound to lead to accusations from political opponents that the government is putting the population in danger or that it has gone soft on crime. Because of this, I urge readers to look carefully at Mahmood's statement - Lord Chancellor sets out immediate action to defuse ticking prison ‘time-bomb’ - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
It is now 30 years
In June 2022, the Court of Appeal (Asplin, Arnold, Nugee LJJ) said not - The Manchester Ship Canal Company Ltd v United Utilities Water Ltd [2022] EWCA Civ 852 (27 June 2022) (bailii.org)
The Supreme Court has reversed that - The Manchester Ship Canal Company Ltd (Appellant) v United Utilities Water Ltd (Respondent) No 2 - The Supreme Court
See the Judgment (PDF) and the Press summary (PDF)
It was argued for United Utilities that such private law claims were excluded because of the statutory scheme for regulating sewerage established by the Water Industry Act 1991 (legislation.gov.uk)
As the summary notes - The implication of the Court of Appeal's judgment was that "no owner of a canal (or other watercourse or body of water) can bring a claim based on nuisance or trespass against a sewerage undertaker in respect of polluting discharges into the water, unless the sewerage undertaker is guilty of negligence or deliberate wrongdoing. A claim of this kind would be prevented even if the polluting discharges were frequent and had significant and damaging effects on the owner’s commercial or other interests, or on its ability to enjoy its property."
The Supreme Coutr held that the 1991 Act does not prevent the Canal Company from bringing a claim in nuisance or trespass when the canal is polluted by discharges of foul water from United Utilities’ outfalls, even if there has been no negligence or deliberate misconduct.
Discharge of sewage into watercourses is a major concern and
Following the conclusion of the Baby K case, the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) published its reasons for rejecting appeals by Lucy Letby relating to previous convictions for murder and attempted murder.
Letby v Rex (Rev1) [2024] EWCA Crim 748 (02 July 2024) (bailii.org)
Please note the reporting restrictions set out at the start of the judgment.
Letby is now serving life imprisonment with a whole life term - Law and Lawyers: Letby sentenced to Whole Life Term (obiterj.blogspot.com)
The Thirlwall Inquiry - (named after the inquiry's chair - Lady Justice Thirlwall) - has been established to examine events at the Countess of Chester Hospital and their implications following the trial, and subsequent convictions, of former neonatal nurse Lucy Letby of murder and attempted murder of babies at the hospital.
The Inquiry Terms of Reference are available via the Inquiry website.
There was a preliminary hearing on 16 May 2024 and for information about future hearings see -Hearings | The Thirlwall Inquiry
Addendum 9 July 2024
Addendum 25 October 2024
R -v- Letby - Courts and Tribunals Judiciary - Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) ruled that it was not unfair to try Letby for the attempted murder of Baby K
Letby applied for leave to appeal against her conviction in July 2024. The sole ground of the appeal was that the judge erred in refusing to stay the proceedings.