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Public Sector Lawyer @publicsectorlawyer.bsky.social · 12h

Now you’ve got me thinking…

Public Sector Lawyer @publicsectorlawyer.bsky.social · 17h

Law, along with engineering, appears to be among the "rip-off" degrees that will be shut down.

www.conservatives.com/news/kemi-ba...

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Public Sector Lawyer @publicsectorlawyer.bsky.social · 18h

On this issue, see this excellent post by @profmarkelliott.bsky.social (excellent partly because it seems to justify my scepticism).
publiclawforeveryone.com/2025/10/08/o...

bsky.app/profile/publ...

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Reposted by Public Sector Lawyer

Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 1d

New post just out:

"Staying alive vs taking control"

Labour's big choice at the budget is whether they just want to try and survive it or whether they're willing to take some bigger risks that would have future payoffs.

(£/free trial)

open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/s...

Staying alive vs taking control

Labour's budget choices

open.substack.com

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Public Sector Lawyer @publicsectorlawyer.bsky.social · 23h

Does this mean this Govt was bound by whatever ‘description’ the last Govt gave, or by the assessments or evidence of the threat posed at the time? The latter seems likelier. If so, would that preclude giving evidence of ‘enemy’ status?

www.bbc.com/news/article...

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Public Sector Lawyer @publicsectorlawyer.bsky.social · 1d

Not quite how I would put it myself, but I understand the sentiment.

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Public Sector Lawyer @publicsectorlawyer.bsky.social · 1d

Given the raft of Conservatives policies & attitudes on display at the moment, might some Conservative MPs be tempted to defect to the Lib Dems in vulnerable seats?
bsky.app/profile/chad...

Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 1d

Psephologist Sir John Curtice told a Demos-sponsored event at the Conservative Party conference fringe that the Lib Dems “will almost undoubtedly win more seats” than the Tories at the next GE.

“The LD vote is now more geographically concentrated than your vote.”

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Public Sector Lawyer @publicsectorlawyer.bsky.social · 1d

A reminder of the oath that Robert Jenrick would have to swear if he ever moved from Shadow to actual Lord Chancellor.

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Public Sector Lawyer @publicsectorlawyer.bsky.social · 1d

Warning about the dilution of the Sentencing Council’s powers, & condoning the idea of ‘two-tier justice’, 6 months ago. If you normalize this sort of thing, it becomes harder to argue against the extreme authoritarian proposals by Robert Jenrick now.

bsky.app/profile/publ...

Public Sector Lawyer @publicsectorlawyer.bsky.social · Apr 2

The Government ought to be treading carefully here, as this Bill is encroaching on judicial decision-making. One reason why sentencing has traditionally been left to the judiciary is to avoid political pressure distorting fair treatment. Such as allowing erroneous perceptions to influence decisions.

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Public Sector Lawyer @publicsectorlawyer.bsky.social · 2d

Not just working on it: many are here to stay.
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/mel-...

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Public Sector Lawyer @publicsectorlawyer.bsky.social · 2d

I wonder what happened on or after 2016 that may help explain this?

conservativehome.com/2025/10/06/m...

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Reposted by Public Sector Lawyer

Alex Thomas @alexgathomas.bsky.social · 2d

Our reaction to Mel Stride’s big day at the Tory conference

There are savings to be made in the civil service. But an arbitrary headcount target & ignoring new demands on the state won’t deliver them

The hard work of doing that falls to the govt

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/mel-...

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Public Sector Lawyer @publicsectorlawyer.bsky.social · 2d

The GFA issue is a good example of the dishonesty of framing this as a decision that needed to be determined by legal advice.

Even if (a big if) the advice is correct, it doesn't much matter if the Irish disagree, which they're likely to. It would be a matter for politics & diplomacy to resolve.

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Reposted by Public Sector Lawyer

Ben Yong @bymyong.bsky.social · 3d

I‘m giving a public talk at UCL on Thurs 16 Oct. The title is “Bureaucracy and distrust: the civil service in the constitution” looking at the civil service’s constitutional foundations, and how it might respond to a populist govt. @sirJJkc.bsky.social will chair!
www.ucl.ac.uk/laws/events/...

Hybrid | CLP - Bureaucracy and Distrust: The Civil Service in the Constitution

This lecture will be delivered by Dr Ben Yong, as part of the Current Legal Problems Lecture Series 2025-26

www.ucl.ac.uk

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Public Sector Lawyer @publicsectorlawyer.bsky.social · 2d

If correct, then, even if valid reasons not to cite China as an "enemy", why did the Government allow the case to be prosecuted?

The continuing refusal of Jonathan Powell even to appear before Parliament (citing exemption as a spad) also makes this look worse.
www.ft.com/content/0aa1...

UK government undermined China spying probe to protect Beijing ties, say officials

Prosecution case collapsed after senior security advisers said they would not testify that China was an ‘enemy’

www.ft.com

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Public Sector Lawyer @publicsectorlawyer.bsky.social · 3d

I think there though the decision wasn’t “let’s ask the lawyers & we’ll do what they say”, but the more conventional “we want to do this, please confirm whether it’s lawful”. KB here was explicitly outsourcing the decision to a lawyer (at least claiming to do so).

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Public Sector Lawyer @publicsectorlawyer.bsky.social · 3d

In fact there’s quite a bit of politics in here, not just legal advice, & the suspicion must be that it’s legal window-dressing for a decision already made. But the framing is still interesting (particularly for a party no longer that keen on lawyers).

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Public Sector Lawyer @publicsectorlawyer.bsky.social · 3d

Are there any other examples of political parties making major policy decisions specifically (at least ostensibly) *because of* legal advice?

This isn’t framed as a policy review that happens to have been undertaken by a lawyer, but actual (privileged) advice, albeit made public.

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Reposted by Public Sector Lawyer

Lewis Graham @lewisgrahamlaw.bsky.social · 3d

Here’s the Wolfson Report recommending the UK leaves the ECHR

www.conservatives.com/wolfson-fina...

Take a shot every time Policy Exchange is cited as authority for a dubious legal proposition and you’ll be drunk before the end of the first chapter

Wolfson Final Report | Conservatives

Wolfson Final Report

www.conservatives.com

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Public Sector Lawyer @publicsectorlawyer.bsky.social · 3d

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Public Sector Lawyer @publicsectorlawyer.bsky.social · 3d

I can understand this to an extent, including the strength of feeling. What I struggle with is the view that not just an extreme element (‘eg ‘woke’ academia) but everyone who’s vaguely left/liberal has shifted too. So that eg someone along the lines of David Gauke is perceived to be radicalised.

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Public Sector Lawyer @publicsectorlawyer.bsky.social · 3d

I think as far as those on the right are concerned, it’s the left & liberals who’ve become most radicalised, & it’s more of a cultural than a policy thing (as per the meme)?

But helpful to have someone who may be sympathetic to that argument eg @igmansfield.bsky.social to explain.

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Public Sector Lawyer @publicsectorlawyer.bsky.social · 4d

Yes. I am speculating here - I don’t know whether they intend for the document to remain private or not, & if not why not - but it does seem odd that it’s specifically referred to as ‘legal advice’.

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Public Sector Lawyer @publicsectorlawyer.bsky.social · 4d

I mean legally privileged. I’m just wondering why the full text hasn’t (apparently) been made public.

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Public Sector Lawyer @publicsectorlawyer.bsky.social · 4d

Thanks.

Interesting to me it’s referred to as legal advice (to whom specifically? the Shadow Cabinet?).

The public policy shift seems to turn on it, yet maybe the full text is privileged so it won’t be shared.

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