Tessera

David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 3w ago

Nb on this - 100 Universities applied. The list is just the "successful" applicants. The ordering of the list hardly shows military level discipline or academic rigour. www.gov.uk/government/n...

Boost for skills and research as 35 universities across the UK partner in new defence alliance

A new Defence Universities Alliance with 35 UK universities will help strengthen defence research, build critical skills and support the UK's future defence capability.

gov.uk

This, in particular. Increasingly of the view that government policy towards universities is the test case of whether it really has a wider economic policy.

Jonathan Portes@jdportes.bsky.social · 3w ago

"A closed country will be poorer. A country that underinvests will not grow. A state that refuses to reform tax will ration ambition. And a Labour government afraid to say these things will discover once again that caution, too, has costs." www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

UK Constitutional Law Association@ukcla.bsky.social · 3w ago

This is an absolutely superb passage in this piece - and of much wider significance than just this particular context.

Extract from the linked blog post which reads: "That reasoning carries a hidden premise. It assumes that political accountability is not merely the proper forum for these decisions but a forum that actually operates, so that judicial restraint transfers scrutiny elsewhere rather than extinguishing it."

Bhavya Johari – The Political Constitution’s Broken Promise: Arms, Sanctions and Accountability after Al-Haq ukconstitutionallaw.org/2026/07/15/b...

Jim Waterson@jim.londoncentric.media · 3w ago

I probably used up my rule-of-law-moaning-about-boring-everyday-stuff quota with the airport thing earlier. Anyway, TV licensing is also a rule of law problem. First-line enforcement for decades has been via make-believe nonsense but people have stopped believing.

As an ex media report I can't help looking at the BBC Annual Report, it's a habit I cannot kick, I'm going to stick some things I've noticed in a thread. The tldr to my mind is if you're at the BBC and you're not panicking and trying new stuff and tuning out low level moans you're screwed. 🧵

These ideas has been floating around various online discussions for years. www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater... OK, Freeman doesn't need the oxygen, or indeed credit for "spotting" the "loophole(s)". But - there is nonetheless a rule of law problem (with a public law dimension) here...

Manchester Airport's £100 parking charges 'may not be legal', says Mr Loophole

Anyone who fails to pay by midnight the following is stung by a huge fine

manchestereveningnews.co.uk

Adam Tucker@adam.publiclaw.space · 3w ago

And here is a view of the extent of the smoke today (from space) zoom.earth/maps/satelli...

A screengrab of a satellite view, taken today, of NW England (and North Wales) showing a plume of smoke from near Glossop, across Manchester and Cheshire, over Liverpool and dispersing widely over the Irish Sea.

A huge swathe of the North West under the pall of the smoke from the Dovestone fire this evening. (The fire is far left, Manchester skyline in the centre.)

FDA Union@fdaunion.bsky.social · 3w ago

The @fdaunion.bsky.social statement on the Olly Robbins Judicial Review unpacks the grounds (🥳): 1. PM lacks (statutory) power to dismiss 2. Unfair process (because no process) 3. Irrationality (revealed in stated reasons)

Olly Robbins, represented by the FDA, has today issued proceedings requesting a Judicial Review of his dismissal. See our full statement below:

Text of statement from FDA:

Sir Oliver Robbins submits legal challenge of his dismissal
The FDA represents Sir Oliver Robbins. Olly has today issued proceedings requesting a Judicial Review of his dismissal as Permanent Under-Secretary of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and Head of the Diplomatic Service.

The Prime Minister has acknowledged that his decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as Ambassador to the United States in December 2024 was a mistake. He should also admit that sacking Olly was a mistake, based on a grievous misunderstanding of how the National Security Vetting (NSV) system worked and a rash response to a media story.

A point of principle is at stake, which affects all FDA members. It damages the core values of a professional and impartial civil service if its most senior officials can be dismissed on a Prime Ministerial whim, without even the semblance of a fair process or considered understanding of the core issue.

A huge swathe of the North West under the pall of the smoke from the Dovestone fire this evening. (The fire is far left, Manchester skyline in the centre.)

Has this been legislated (but not yet published)? Or is it an on-the-fly flex? (under which power?) www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... Yes, I know I'm a bore. But the government legislated to ease the applicable legal framework only this year ... and they're still making it look very messy to use

World Cup: England fans can stay in pub for full Norway game - even if kick-off delayed

The extended hours means fans can watch the entire game, even if the start is delayed.

bbc.co.uk

This is an interestingly worded denial www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Screenshot from news story, where a "spokesman for Jenrick" denies that "Robert knowingly accepted impermissible donations"

Jessica Elgot@jessicaelgot.bsky.social · 4w ago

Quite the shift in tone from Starmer's "crackdown" on the backbenches.

NEW - Andy Burnham has written a long letter to all Labour MPs tonight - promising a major overhaul of whipping and engagement on legislation, as well as a “broad church” cabinet where ministers routinely engage MPs & select committees. Comes as nominations open for leadership. Letter here 👇

Surely now there is a real possibility that Farage doesn't stand after all in the Clacton by-election? It's not like he is bound by expressing that intention yesterday. He may well say the establishment chickened out, he has nothing left to prove etc.

Ben Yong@bymyong.bsky.social · 4w ago

This is a great thread. The rules governing all this are (i) unnecessarily weird and (ii) easy to change.

What is fascinating about the debate over whether the Chancellor can refuse Farage’s resignation is the marginalisation of Parliament on a decision affecting one of its own members. 1/4

Adam Tucker @adam.publiclaw.space · last mo.

Indeed. There's an important kernel of rule of law truth in there too though: the *current* system is already a rule of law failure. (a good policy aim would be to at least come up with a solution/reform which good advocates who care about the rule of law are capable of defending impressively...)

Alasdair Mackenzie@alasdairmackenzie.bsky.social · last mo.

Distinctly unimpressive defence by Lord Hermer of Shabana Mahmood's proposal to replace judges in immigration and asylum appeals with a tribunal staffed with non-lawyers. Another change which Burnham ought to drop if he's to be taken seriously as doing things differently

Adam Tucker @adam.publiclaw.space · last mo.

Will be interesting to see the wider devolutionary agenda this is said to be part of. (the comparison to Trump/Mar-a-Lago is completely gratuitous though) www.ft.com/content/f304...

Andy Burnham looks to move part of Number 10 operations to Manchester

Plan marks radical attempt to shift power beyond Westminster

ft.com

Mark Elliott @profmarkelliott.bsky.social · 2mo ago

That AI isn't yet "good enough" to mark students' essays ought to be beside the point. Outsourcing such tasks to AI is fundamentally incompatible with the intellectual engagement between student and professor that should be central to higher education. /1 www.cam.ac.uk/stories/ai-u...

AI not yet good enough to mark university essays, rewarding ‘style over substance’

Top AI systems show bias towards rewarding overly complex prose styles and only match human examiners for grade bands around half the time, research finds.

cam.ac.uk

Nearly time for the @ukcla.bsky.social Early Career Workshop in Constitutional Law and Theory It's always a very supportive environment and I'm looking forward to being on this year's panel. Abstracts still being accepted. Do submit if you are hesitating... ukconstitutionallaw.org/2026/04/27/c...

Call for Papers: UKCLA Early Career Workshop in Constitutional Law and Theory, University of Bristol

Bristol University’s Centre for European and Public Law (CEPL), and Liverpool University’s Public Law Unit are pleased to announce a one-day workshop for PhD candidates and early-career researchers…

ukconstitutionallaw.org

David Mead@seethingmead.bsky.social · 3mo ago

And we're really looking forward to hearing from David later today! Absolutely the right moment for this talk, from this author. (Mike isn't on here. I'll tell him you were looking for him)

On my way to @livunislsj.bsky.social to be hosted by Mike Gordon who I don’t think is on here? Looking forward to discussing this paper this afternoon, sharing insights and learning from colleagues such as @adam.publiclaw.space A cracking city and lovely to be heading back

The Supreme Court in Dillon went out of its way not to confirm that EU(W) s7A is effective as a ground for disapplying primary legislation I didn't see any explicit doubting (I'll look again more carefully). But I see enough to make me think someone involved thinks this point is at least arguable

Public Sector Lawyer@publicsectorlawyer.bsky.social · 3mo ago

This case also has ramifications for the clauses to be inserted into the Representation of the People Bill to give effect to Rycroft's recommendations on overseas and crypto donations Important contextual differences - but it's a good indication that Parliament needs to make its intention clear...

NB fans of statutory interpretation may be interested in this Supreme Court decision, which decided that the wording below “an amount equal to the value of the donation” in another part of the Act meant an amount *less than or* equal to. supremecourt.uk/uploads/uksc... bsky.app/profile/publ...

David Mead @seethingmead.bsky.social · 4mo ago

I have curated this year's @publiclaw.bsky.social Special Analysis section "The Public Order Act 1986 at Forty", with six excellent contributions which together, I/we hope, offer an insight into the rich tapestry of contemporary protest law and policing in the UK, through that historical lens.

Mikki Brock @mikkibrock.bsky.social · 4mo ago

All our American friends used to caution that you can't predict votes from oral argument... (Admittedly before judges said things like "yeah yeah what about the constitution?") But I'm seeing a lot of predictions already - like scorelines. Has something fundamental changed about predictability?

I don't see this said enough: the widespread use of generative AI is not only making our jobs as educators harder logistically, but also emotionally. It is genuinely sad to be suspicious of students when you have spent so much time building a pedagogy based on trust and not being a cop. It sucks.

This statement includes the finding that the behaviour described by the Democracy Volunteers observers (the only source of the allegations) did not even amount to the offence about which they were complaining, and which they told the press they had witnessed. www.gmp.police.uk/news/greater...

Criminal investigation concludes into 'family voting' allegation at Gorton and Denton by-election

We’ve concluded our investigation into alleged ‘family voting’ at last month’s Gorton and Denton by-election, finding no evidence of any intent to influence or refrain any person from voting.

gmp.police.uk

The government have promptly announced the implementation of two of the recommendations in today's Rycroft Review: 1. an annual cap on overseas donations 2. a moratorium on cryptocurrency donations In both cases, I think the government should adopt a bolder legislative strategy (a thread...)