Westminster update: lord chancellor delivers spring statement

US sanctions against International Criminal Court

We stand with legal professional bodies and lawyers’ rights organisations in agreement that the US sanctions against the International Criminal Court represent a flagrant disregard for the fundamental principle of the rule of law, the bedrock of freedom and justice worldwide.

Spring statement: chancellor promises renewal against uncertain global backdrop

The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, delivered the spring statement on Wednesday 28 March.

She outlined changes to benefits, higher defence spending and new efforts to cut down on the cost of administration in government.

After forecasts showed she was set to miss her goal of reducing government debt by 2030, Reeves brought forward a package of welfare cuts, a crackdown on tax evasion and restrained government spending to put her back in line with her fiscal rules.

Despite speculation about sweeping departmental cuts, the Ministry of Justice secured a modest £8 million boost to modernise the probation service.

Overall, government spending will rise by 1.2% annually during this parliament – slightly down from the previously planned 1.3% real terms increase.

The chancellor acknowledged a gloomier economic outlook, with growth forecasts halved to 1% for this year.

Yet, she expressed pride in the government’s achievements over the past nine months, citing restored government finances and revitalised public services.

Reeves declared it is time to “rebuild Britain’s future”, pledging a decade of national renewal in a world increasingly shaped by uncertainty, marked by the war in Ukraine, rising borrowing costs and volatile global trade.

Conservative shadow chancellor Mel Stride accused Reeves of “fiddling targets” in his response to the statement and accused the government of overseeing a poorer and weaker country.

Border Security Bill: international obligations centre of debate

Intense debates continued as amendments relating to the UK’s international obligations were voted on during committee stage proceedings for the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill.

The minister for border security and asylum, Dame Angela Eagle, highlighted the necessity of new clause 30, which allows conditions to be imposed on grants of leave to enter or remain in the UK or on immigration bail.

She emphasised that these powers are essential to protect the public from a small cohort of migrants who pose a threat but cannot be removed due to international law obligations.

Debates also centred around the good character requirement for British citizenship.

Pete Wishart (Scottish National Party) proposed new clause 13, which seeks to disregard illegal entry to the UK as a factor in assessing the good character requirement for citizenship applications.

This clause faced criticism from Sarah Bool (Conservative), who argued that it undermines the rule of law.

Despite support from Will Forster (Liberal Democrat), the amendment was defeated in a vote of two votes to 14.

Home Office minister Seema Malhotra reiterated that citizenship applications will continue to be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Modern slavery was another key topic, with Forster proposing new clause 19 to prevent public authorities from sharing information with immigration authorities that could lead to deportation or prosecution of victims of slavery or human trafficking.

Eagle responded by highlighting the UK’s protections for victims through our international agreements and obligations.

This led to the amendment being withdrawn.

Matt Vickers (Conservative) spoke on the opposition’s new clause 24 which seeks to require all rulings in the lower tier immigration tribunal to be heard in public.

He noted the Conservatives have “seen absurd outcomes in some of the cases heard in the upper tribunal in recent months and we feel it is important to make sure that the system is transparent and that the public have full access to the tribunal records at both levels”.

In response, Eagle responded that “we agree that accountability and transparency are absolutely vital for building trust and credibility in the immigration system”, also noting that there is already a presumption that first tier tribunal hearings should be public”.

The amendment was pushed to a vote, but fell by a margin of two votes to 12.

The bill now returns to the Commons for its report stage.

Youth mobility challenges for lawyers raised by Liberal Democrats

The Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Europe, James MacCleary, continued his push for a youth mobility scheme with the EU.

He raised the concerns of junior lawyers and trainees in a Westminster Hall debate on Monday 24 March.

MacCleary (who is the former campaign director for the European Movement) mentioned a recent meeting with the Law Society and the significant challenges with business mobility that were discussed.

The debate was led by Labour MP Paul Davis and responded to a petition on the UK’s membership of the EU.

Members across all parties challenged the government’s ambition of resetting of relations with our EU neighbours and pushed the minister to give clarity on its position across mobility, trade and cultural exchange.

The minister, Abena Oppong-Asare, responded by making it clear that “this government will not seek to rejoin the EU, nor will there be a return to freedom of movement, the customs union or the single market, as we set out in our general election manifesto”.

Despite sticking to the official line, it seems there has been some relaxation of its stance on youth mobility.

She noted the government recognises “the value of people-to-people connections, and of schemes that give young people the opportunity to experience different cultures and to work or study elsewhere”.

This is a clear shift in the government’s previous messaging, which suggested that youth mobility schemes were a red line for negotiations.

Shadow attorney general addresses rhetoric against lawyers

The shadow attorney general, Lord Wolfson of Tredegar, addressed rhetoric against lawyers and their role in upholding the rule of law during a keynote speech at a Policy Exchange event.

He condemned recent vandalism of law firms due to their work for specific companies, stressing that such harassment undermines the cultural values that support the cab-rank rule.

However, he also cautioned against lawyers personally aligning themselves with their clients’ causes or actions.

Lord Wolfson criticised the practice of some lawyers who exclusively represent certain types of clients, such as tenants over landlords or employees over employers, suggesting that this undermines the impartiality essential to the legal profession.

He also commented on the attorney general’s new ministerial guidelines, expressing concern over what he labelled as having “radical, and, I think, questionable content”.

He criticised the guidelines for expanding the role of government lawyers in advising ministers, suggesting that it could undermine the traditional boundaries of legal advice.

He highlighted ambiguity in the guidelines regarding the protection of fundamental rights and the potential confusion it could cause among ministers and government lawyers.

Lord Wolfson argued that the guidelines’ approach to international law obligations is problematic, as it could lead to government lawyers advising against legislation that might conflict with international law, which he argued would undermine parliamentary sovereignty.

Coming up

We are working closely with MPs and peers to influence a number of bills before parliament:

• Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill continues its committee stage in the Commons, which began on 4 March
• Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill second reading in the Lords on 1 May
• Crime and Policing Bill continues its committee stage, which began on 27 March
• Data (Access and Use) Bill report stage in the Commons, date to be confirmed
• Employment Rights Bill committee stage in the Lords, date to be confirmed
• Mental Health Bill report stage in the Lords on 31 March
• Planning and Infrastructure Bill committee stage in the Commons, date to be confirmed
• Renters' Rights Bill committee stage in the Lords, date to be confirmed
• Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill report stage in the Commons on 25 April