Letter from London

Floyd Alexander-Hunt's letter from Blighty ... Hugh Grant takes the money and leaves the box ... Last minutism ... And suprise round-up for Rwanda-bound refugees 

"You alright then?"  

Is a phrase that Brits keep asking me. Apparently it's the equivalent of Australia's "How ya going?", but it feels decidedly targeted. 

Like, I'M FINE, STOP ASKING. 

Sure, I'm vitamin-D deficient and overwhelmed at the number of people who think that running the London Marathon is a positive personality trait, but all is merry in jolly old Blighty. 

King Charles is set to return to his public duties, Posh Spice is 50 (years old not lbs) and Brits are optimistic that the Piccadilly line will be renovated (this century). 

Hugh Grant settles down, or up

Hugh Grant has settled! And no - this is not the fourth instalment of Bridget Jones' Diary. The actor opted to settle his privacy claim against the Sun despite his initial desire to pursue the case in court. 

Grant accused the newspaper of phone hacking, unlawful information-gathering, bugging his phones, quite apart from breaking into this house and office. 

The trial was due to be heard in January 2025, however, a "substantial" Part 36 offer was made. Part 36 creates potential costs consequences for the rejecting party, so the rules of civil procedure dictated the outcome of the "enormous" settlement for Grant. He wrote on X: 

My lawyers tell me that that is exactly what would most likely happen here. Rupert Murdoch’s lawyers are very expensive. So even if every allegation is proven in court, I would still be liable for something approaching £10 million in costs. I’m afraid I am shying at that fence.

— Hugh Grant (@HackedOffHugh) April 17, 2024

Grant promised to donate the settlement money to his five children so he can stop taking on roles he hates (i.e. The Oompa Loompa in Wonka). 

Actually, he insists he's donating the sum to press reform organisations, including Hacked Off. 

Last minute law

Dame Nerys Angharad JeffordThe High Court has shown mercy on the claimant's lawyers in Lloyds Developments Ltd v Accor HotelServices UK Ltd, who filed an application for extension just three minutes before the deadline. 

The Hon. Mrs Justice Jefford criticised the "undoubtedly unsatisfactory" manner in which the application was made, however, ultimately allowed it based on the circumstances (no doubt she'd done the same thing in law school).

The claimant was required to pay the outstanding £120,000 incurred earlier in the litigation by 4 pm on March 8, 2024. 

At 3.57 pm, the claimant's legal team filed an extension request -  finally admitting defeat. I mean, let's be honest, only Taylor Swift can crowdfund 120k in three minutes. 

By 4.30 pm the defendant submitted an application for summary judgment, contesting the extension application. 

The claimant eventually paid the outstanding amount on March 15. 

The judge held that it was reasonable to extend the deadline, particularly because the outstanding sum had been paid and the trial remained unaffected. 

However, she cautioned against similar last-minute extension requests - along the lines of the dog eating the homework. 

"Although I would not seek to pre-empt any future decision of the court, it is right for me to observe that any further application of this nature – that is at the last minute seeking further time to comply with an unless order – is unlikely to have the same outcome." 

Phew!

Surprise!

The Home Office has disclosed a "surprise" operation commencing on Monday April 29 aiming to detain asylum seekers across the UK earlier than anticipated. 

This is in preparation for plans for deportation to Rwanda in July 2024. 

The operation is scheduled to last two weeks and will involve apprehending refugees during routine meetings at immigration service offices and conducting nationwide sweeps. 

Refugees will be transferred to detention centres until the deportation flights commence – the first one scheduled to take off this summer. 

One can only hope that given the UK doesn't actually experience a "summer", the flights will never take off. 

The timing of the operation's launch coincides with England's local council elections, seemingly bolstering Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's assertions of a robust crackdown on illegal migration. 

Sunak: election timing

The Home Office announced: 

"The government is entering the final phase of operationalising this landmark policy to tackle illegal migration and stop the boats."  

It continued: 

"At some stage inevitably this will include detaining people in preparation for the first flight, which is set to take off to Rwanda in 10 to 12 weeks."  

Disturbingly, it was made to sound like a Euro vaycay – I'm surprised they didn't add "pack your swimmers!" 

The Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill 2024 received Royal Assent on Thursday 24 April 2024 and will now become law in the UK. 

Sunak told parliament: 

"To detain people while we prepare to remove them, we've increased detention spaces to 2,200."