Letter from London

Swearing during ethics exam likely to bring the profession into disrepute ... Rwanda on ice ... Magistrate ticked off for butting into animal cruelty discourse ... Charles tells parliament about a battery of 40 Bills and the flowering of economic growth ... Floyd Alexander-Hunt writes from the Old Dart 

Olympic coverage: enough to make you scream

Since last penning this column, the UK has elected a Labour Government and I have elected to stop letting random family members crash on my bedroom floor because we should have "more time together". 

This is probably the first boundary I have set since ... maybe ever - and probably as radical a move as the Brits electing a Labour government.

Across the Channel, the Paris 2024 Olympics pose a significant distraction to the race riots across the sceptered isle, fuelled by disinformation. 

My husband and I (as the former Queen would say) are screaming at the television every time an athlete messes up a near impossible physical achievement. 

The other day a gymnast fumbled his landing after six perfect somersaults on a bar and I caught myself saying, "Jeez is it that hard to nail the landing mate?" 

I think I also compared the diving competition to "falling into water"? Turns out I have become my father. 

On that alarming note, let's dive (or is it falling?) into the latest stories to catch my eye on the London legal scene.

Potty mouthed pupil

From Roll On Friday

An unregistered barrister has been fined £500 for swearing during his professional ethics exam. During his pupillage, Jack Henry Sadler made a number of questionable comments during a remote ethics assessment he sat in July 2023.  

Unfortunately for Sadler, the assessment was recorded and he was caught saying: 

"This is annoying, oh my god, this is going to really p**s me off" ... "I'm so f*****g bored of this" ... "f*****g finally, a criminal question. This civil s**t… how can you have any ethics if you're a civil practitioner, honestly." 

When the exam proctor, who can communicate with candidates via an online chat, told Sadler to show his desk to the camera and reminded him that he couldn’t wear any kind of watch, the barrister exclaimed: "What is a watch going to do, how the fuck am I going to cheat with a watch, come on". 

At the end of the exam, Sadler held up his middle finger to the camera. I think this is the white collar equivalent of Eminem's origin story. 

The Bar Standards Board held that Sadler "acted in a way which was likely to diminish the trust and confidence which the public places in him or the profession". Taking the hint, Sadler has left the bar and showed "contrition and remorse". 

Insane asylum scheme axed 

Eadie KC: Rwanda case called off 

The hellish Rwanda asylum scheme put forward by Rishi Sunak & The Deplorables has essentially been abandoned by the High Court. 

This comes after PM Keir Starmer announced that the Rwanda scheme was "dead and buried before it started". 

An ongoing legal battle was due to be heard over a four-days in the Royal Courts of Justice before Dame Victoria Sharp, Mr Justice Martin Chamberlain and Mr Justice Ian Dove. 

However, counsel for the government Sir James Eadie KC, revealed that an agreement has been reached with the claimants - SM, SY and XYX - and their cases "will finally be disposed of and withdrawn subject to costs".

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has confirmed there are no scheduled flights or intention to send asylum seekers to Rwanda under the Migration and Economic Development Partnership.

Asylum Aid is calling for assurance that no flights will be scheduled ever, and that the Safety of Rwanda Act will be repealed. 

Executive Director of Asylum Aid pit it this way: 

"As we welcome the Labour government's decision to stop the flights, we call on them to now scrap the Rwanda scheme entirely by processing all asylum claims and abandon all plans for 'offshore' processing.

"The government must restore the right to seek asylum in the UK in line with international law and ensure people can have their cases processed here in a fair and timely way."

Magistrate given screen time warning

Magistrate Anne Toomer has received a formal warning for misconduct after she sent a comment to Facebook about an animal cruelty case. It turns out even judicial officers struggle to resist the allure of screen time. 

Toomer said a comment on a local residents' Facebook page was misleading and, furthermore, she had presided over the case - noting the defendant's "apparent lack of emotion" during the trial and likelihood of facing prison.

Toomer has since deleted her remarks and made assurances it will not happen again. 

This reminds me of the time my Mum couldn't remember her PIN so started commenting on Commonwealth Bank's Facebook page. 

The Judicial Conduct Investigations Office (JCIO) issued a starchy reminder: 

"The declaration and undertaking signed by all magistrates on their appointment states that they will maintain the good reputation of the magistracy at all times, in their private, working, and public lives."

Judges, they're not like us, they have to behave at all times. That's why you'll never find a judge yelling at the driver who cut them off in traffic. 

The JCIO continued: 

"Additionally, social media guidance for the judiciary cautions office holders not to respond to inaccurate or unfair social media reports or comments."

A poignant lesson for all, but particularly those on the bench: don't go near the comments section. 

The King's Speech - where's Colin? 

Agenda setting 

Unfortunately, Colin Firth did not appear in this version of the King's Speech and the public were left with his understudy - Charles III. 

On July 17, His Maj set out the new government's legislative plans, in a collection of 40 Bills, with economic growth at the heart of the agenda.. 

This is a far greater amount than the 21 bills announced in Rishi Sunak's legislative programme last year. 

Notably, the Planning and Infrastructure Bill is supposed to speed things up in the construction sector, while the Employment Rights Bill seeks to ban exploitative employment practices and enhance worker rights - with sick pay, parental leave, and protection from unfair dismissal available from day one. 

Others include a Digital Information and Smart Data Bill, A Football Governance Bill and an Arbitration Bill. Starmer did his best to talk it up: 

"From energy, to planning, to unbreakable fiscal rules, my government is serious about delivering the stability that is going to turbo charge growth that will create wealth in every corner of the UK." 

I hope that includes the tiny corner of the room I have been allocated as my family takes over over the rest of my accomodation.  

Broader, deeper boundaries need to be set.