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Aileen McHarg

@aileenmcharg.bsky.social

Professor of Public Law and Human Rights, Durham University. Joint General Editor, Public Law.

1806 Posts2728 Follower 726 Folgt

ECIU @eciu.net · yesterday

UKERC says that assertions that drilling the North Sea will provide energy resilience and affordability in the face of current fuel price shocks "actively distracts from the regulatory reforms needed to address the end-game dynamics of North Sea oil and gas" ukerc.ac.uk/news/drilli...

Drilling for Oil and Gas Will not Reduce Bills or Deliver Energy Security. Here’s Why

War in the Gulf and the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz have been accompanied, with disappointing...

ukerc.ac.uk

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 3d ago

Well yes, but also I won't be holding my breath.

The Guardian@theguardian.com · 4d ago

Devolution plans strengthen case for written UK constitution, says Burnham

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 4d ago

I was going to say that this is my most misanthropic opinion, but tbh it probably isn't. Nevertheless, I hate it when supermarket checkout operators try to engage me in conversation, and even more if they comment on my shopping.

Richard Wyn Jones @richardwynjones.bsky.social · last wk.

Andy Burnham a datganoli - golwg Gymreig! The contradiction at the heart of the Burnham government's approach to devolution. Pro-devolution in England; Devo-sceptic in the rest of the UK. nation.cymru/opinion/the-...

The contradiction at the heart of Andy Burnham’s attitude to devolution

Richard Wyn Jones There is a contradiction at the heart of Andy Burnham’s attitude to devolution. On the face of it, the new UK Prime Minister’s commitment could hardly be clearer. Last week he told r...

nation.cymru

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · last wk.

A perfect view of Durham Cathedral from my room for the night in Durham Castle. Almost worth the eleventy billion steps I had to climb to get here.

David Anderson @bricksilk.bsky.social · last wk.

The House of Lords Constitution Committee is starting a wide-ranging inquiry into strengthening our constitutional safeguards - as proposed by (Lord) Peter Hennessy. Look East, look West, and see the urgency. Written evidence requested by 28th of September. committees.parliament.uk/committee/17...

The UK’s constitutional safeguards inquiry launched by Lords Constitution Committee - Committees - UK Parliament

The House of Lords Constitution Committee has today published a call for evidence for its inquiry into the UK’s constitutional safeguards. It is inviting interested individuals and organisations...

committees.parliament.uk

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 2w ago

Really shocking.

Plashing Vole@plashingvole.bsky.social · 2w ago

My dept is about to be reduced to 3 people covering 3 separate disciplines. The 25 PhD students will be left bereft of adequate supervision numerically and in terms of expertise. The government has decided that they should have no recourse (music to my university’s ears).

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 2w ago

Good grief. Why does this make sense for Burnham?

Conor Matchett@conormatchett.bsky.social · 2w ago

Full story: www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/1658218...

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

New article: Mark Elliott and Nicholas Kilford, "The Relational Principle of Parliamentary Sovereignty" SSRN draft available to download; forthcoming in Public Law publiclawforeveryone.com/2026/07/21/t... @nearlydoctornick.bsky.social

The relational principle of parliamentary sovereignty

In a forthcoming article in Public Law, Nicholas Kilford and I examine three leading UK Supreme Court decisions that have subjected the principle of parliamentary sovereignty to notably unorthodox …

publiclawforeveryone.com

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 3w ago

Just checking the mood on le Ciel Bleu.

Dr Adam Evans @a-b-evans.bsky.social · 3w ago

For those interested in Welsh politics, this is an interesting read on the dynamics that led to Plaid’s supplementary budget being defeated in the #Senedd this week & the implications for how Plaid will need to manage minority govt, esp in terms of its relationship with Welsh Labour #devolution

Plaid heads into recess with the limits of its victory exposed

By Rhodri ab Owen, Managing Director of Camlas For now, the supplementary budget vote is best understood as an early correction to the assumptions that followed Plaid's victory. Rhun ap Iorwerth's gov...

linkedin.com

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 3w ago

Depressing

Caroline Lucas@carolinelucas.bsky.social · 3w ago

Hard to think of a more deeply damaging start to Burnham’s premiership than giving green light to new oil & gas in N. Sea, if true. It won’t lower bills or lead to greater energy security but will drive an even hotter planet. What a terrible signal to give to rest of the world #ClimateVandalism

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 3w ago

A bit of a "don't want to do that again" drive to get here, but luckily the views are stunning and we have enough food for a week.

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 3w ago

Name that ferry

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 3w ago

I can sew and I'm a fairly resourceful cook, but I fear that's about it.

lifeofjenius@jeniusj.blacksky.app · 3w ago

Question: What's your post-apocalyptic skill??

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 3w ago

Do tears count on St Swithin's Day?

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 3w ago

Anti-Gaelic road sign chat taken to the extreme. There's a word for people who try to suppress minority languages.

Adam Bienkov@adambienkov.bsky.social · 3w ago

Reform UK plans to jail candidates for using Irish, Gaelic Or Cornish on their election leaflets. Nigel Farage’s party propose amendment to the elections Bill which would mean candidates using Irish and Scottish Gaelic would face up to six months in prison bylinetimes.com/2026/07/13/r...

George Parker @georgewparker.bsky.social · 3w ago

New - Olly Robbins seeks judicial review over his sacking by Sir Keir Starmer in the Mandelson affair www.ft.com/content/c185...

Top civil servant seeks judicial review over sacking in Mandelson scandal

Olly Robbins was fired after PM said he was left in dark over red flags relating to Mandelson’s Washington appointment

ft.com

Michael Plaxton @michaelplaxton.bsky.social · 4w ago

My latest on Substack: Thoughts on the University of Chicago Law School's Statement on AI. open.substack.com/pub/michaelp...

The Grind is the Point

AI, Legal Education & the University of Chicago Law School's Report

open.substack.com

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 4w ago

Feels like a bad sign that literally the first time I have heard of this institution is in the context of a fraud investigation.

The Mill@manchestermill.bsky.social · 4w ago

Exclusive: Vice-chancellor George Holmes among those arrested on suspicion of fraud. It marks an unprecedented moment in British higher education - the first time a university vice-chancellor has ever been arrested in the UK as part of a criminal investigation. manchestermill.co.uk/exclusive-vi...

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 4w ago

Hungry teenager requires lateral thinking. I give you the square sausage smash taco

Electoral Reform Society @electoralreform.bsky.social · 4w ago

If your council knows where you live to post you a council tax bill, why do you have to go back to them to register to vote? buff.ly/JDgdxwc

Wales becomes the first UK nation to introduce Automatic Voter Registration

Last week, the Welsh Government laid new regulations to introduce Automatic Voter Registration (AVR) across all 22 Welsh local authorities ahead of the 2027 local elections. This marks a

buff.ly

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 4w ago

In Scotland-is-a-poorly-governed-hell-hole news:

Laurie Macfarlane @lmacfarlane.bsky.social · 4w ago

But what matters most is living standards. Since devolution, median weekly earnings have risen by 23% in Scotland, versus 15% in England, 16% in Wales and 20% in Northern Ireland. Scotland has overtaken England and now has the highest earnings of all UK nations.

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 4w ago

People keep telling me that AI no longer hallucinates. Yet my own direct experience and multiple news reports confirm that AI does in fact continue to hallucinate.

Sonia L @sonial77.bsky.social · 4w ago

Here we go again - this time it's the CPS using AI generated fake cases and then not actually checking the output properly "The episode highlights the risks of its use without appropriate oversight particularly for legal research." www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWH...

Postcript

Prior to the hearing of the hearing appeal an issue arose concerning the accuracy of certain authorities cited in the Respondents' written submissions.

In grounds of opposition prepared by the Crown Prosecution Service ("CPS") dated 3 June 2025, reliance was placed on a number of authorities said to demonstrate the continued application of the reasoning in Pilecki. Those authorities included cases cited as: Vlad v Romania [2017] EWHC 2060 (Admin) and Jeziorski v Poland [2019] EWHC 3885 (Admin). Neither of these authorities exists.

The same erroneous material had also been carried forward into a further document in the appeal, prepared by junior counsel dated 12 June 2025 headed "Respondent Submissions", such that the non-existent authorities were relied upon in more than one document before the Court. The error was not identified at the permission stage, notwithstanding that the relevant submissions had been before the Court at that point. The erroneous citations were not relied upon in the Respondents' skeleton argument dated 2 February 2026, settled by junior and leading counsel. Equally, the Respondents' skeleton did not explain (as is clear now, see below) that the false citations had by then been identified by those acting for the Respondents.

Initially, it appeared that the error was not identified by the Respondent or its legal representatives, but by those acting for the Appellants, who were unable to locate the cases despite searches of the usual legal databases. The matter was therefore raised with the CPS, first by email on 3 February 2026, and then by letter dated 5 February 2026 and brought to the attention of the Court.

The CPS responded the following day, acknowledging the error. An apology was offered, and it was made clear that there had been no intention to mislead the Court. The CPS indicated that enquiries were being undertaken into the circumstances in which the citations came to be included in the submissions. Leading and junior counsel for the Respondents provided a Note to the Court dated 9 February 2026 which stated that the two cases did not exist and that the Respondents regretted and apologised for the fact that the erroneous citations were placed before the court in the documents dated 3 and 12 June 2025 and that they had not been included in bad faith. The Note stated that an investigation was underway into the circumstances in which the citations came to be included in the two documents and that the matter was being considered at senior levels of the CPS. A fuller explanation was subsequently provided in a letter from the Chief Crown Prosecutor dated 3 March 2026, which proceeded on the basis that the error was not identified by counsel instructed until it was raised by the Appellants.

In its letter, dated 3 March 2026, the CPS accepted that the citations were inaccurate and explained that they were likely to have originated from the use of artificial intelligence. However, the CPS identified the critical failing as the fact that the reviewing lawyer did not properly check the accuracy of the document before it was filed and served.

The position of the CPS was therefore that, while the immediate source of the error may have been the use of generative artificial intelligence, the operative cause was human error in the failure to verify the authorities relied upon in formal submissions placed before the Court. The CPS emphasised that this was not a deliberate attempt to mislead, but rather an isolated incident arising from inadequate checking of written work.

The CPS indicated that, once the issue came to light, it had undertaken a series of steps.

i) First, a full internal review was initiated in order to establish how the error had occurred.

ii) Secondly, in order to assess whether the issue was confined to this case, senior managers reviewed a substantial number of other cases (78 in total) conducted by the same lawyer. That review did not identify similar issues, and the lawyer's work was otherwise assessed to be of a good standard.

iii) Thirdly, the CPS used the incident as an opportunity to reinforce professional obligations within the Extradition Unit. In particular, lawyers were reminded of their duty, as officers of the court, to ensure the accuracy of written submissions. Internal processes were also reviewed, and the learning points arising from the incident were disseminated more widely across the organisation.

iv) Finally, the CPS indicated that the matter would be raised with instructed counsel, noting that the error had not been identified prior to being drawn to its attention by the Appellants. (In fact, and as below, this subsequently proved to be incorrect: the error had already been identified by junior counsel.)

The CPS concluded that, in light of these steps, the risk of recurrence was low.

In summary therefore, at the outset of the appeal hearing the Court was faced with a situation in which non-existent authorities had been cited in formal submissions on behalf of the Respondent. The error appeared not to have been identified by those responsible for preparing or reviewing the submissions, nor by counsel, but was instead brought to light by the opposing party. The CPS had explained the matter as arising from the use of artificial intelligence combined with a failure of proper verification, and has taken steps internally to investigate, review and mitigate the risk of repetition.

Andrew Ducker @andrewducker.bsky.social · 4w ago

Interesting Links for 10-07-2026

1. Suspecting AI cheating, Ivy League prof ordered an in-person final; scores fell 50%(tags:Education ai cheating )2. What To Know About The Live-Action 'Moana'(tags:Disney funny )3. Why American ambulance rides are so expensive(tags:USA economics business healthcare transport ) comments

andrewducker.dreamwidth.org

Paul Brand @paulbrand.bsky.social · 4w ago

NEW: Jersey’s assisted dying bill has been given royal assent. It will become the first place in the British isles to legalise the practice, probably within the next few days. The Isle of Man is still awaiting royal assent after recently amending its bill.

Aileen McHarg @aileenmcharg.bsky.social · 4w ago

Thank goodness some politicians are paying attention at last.

Margot Finn@eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 4w ago

'Politicians from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Modern Languages have told the university’s executive “in the strongest possible terms to reconsider” the plans, in a letter seen by Times Higher Education.' 1/3

Ben Yong @bymyong.bsky.social · 4w ago

H/t @joshchafetz.bsky.social

Ben Yong@bymyong.bsky.social · 4w ago

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

Joshua Rozenberg @joshuarozenberg.bsky.social · 4w ago

Lord Mackay of Clashfern KT, who has died at the age of 99, was the last lord chancellor to serve all three branches of the constitution with distinction. rozenberg.substack.com/p/lord-macka...

Lord Mackay of Clashfern KT

After him, they broke the mould

rozenberg.substack.com