David Lammy, the Justice Secretary, has announced a new anti-corruption strategy aimed at expediting justice in complex fraud cases through judge-only trials. Speaking at Mansion House, he emphasised that these reforms would allow specialist judges to handle serious fraud cases more efficiently. Mr Lammy said: “If you loot, if you launder, if you defraud the…

The upcoming report by Covid Counter Fraud Commissioner Tom Hayhoe reveals that nearly £11bn was lost to fraud and error in Covid-19 support programmes. Mr Hayhoe will address MPs, highlighting how fraudsters exploited rapid financial aid rollouts initiated by the previous Conservative government. The report criticises the lack of anti-fraud controls, saying: “Accepting a high…

Charlie Gould, a former Royal Marines recruit, is suing the Ministry of Defence (MoD) for £236,000 after suffering a heat-related injury during a training exercise in June 2020. Gould collapsed during a five-hour “yomp” on Dartmoor, claiming he experienced “exertional heat stroke” due to inadequate medical treatment. His lawyer, Jonathan Dingle, stated that Gould now…

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall has told MPs that AI chatbots could be more tightly regulated in the UK over concerns they could encourage teenagers to commit acts of self-harm. The Online Safety Act was written before the rise of generative AI and Kendall said she wants to make sure bots such as ChatGPT do not…

New reforms in England and Wales will protect rape victims from being portrayed as liars in court. Justice Secretary David Lammy stated that the changes address the “profound injustice” faced by victims, who often feel on trial themselves. Under the new laws, “bad character” evidence related to a victim’s past will be restricted unless there…

Seasoned barristers have slammed younger members of the profession for using TikTok and Instagram to gain followers. Senior barristers have expressed outrage over what they see as inappropriate content, including selfies from inside court and comical videos. One veteran barrister stated: “It’s wildly inappropriate to try to reconcile the kind of facile frivolity you see…