The Legal Brief - 31st May 2023

Boris Johnson could potentially be facing charges due to further Covid rule breaches coming to light.

Boris Johnson resigned as prime minister in July 2022 due to the issues around him breaking the Covid lockdown rules. The scandal caused an uproar as the public felt betrayed by his actions. People could not see family members, particularly vulnerable ones, yet it has been revealed that Mr Johnson potentially breached the rules to see his family. 

Due to his actions, Boris Johnson has been referred to the Police by the Cabinet Office. The Cabinet has disclosed documents to the police which show further potential rule breaches during the Covid-19 Pandemic. The document disclosed is Boris Johnson’s ministerial diary which shows family and friends met him at his country house in Buckinghamshire. 

He has previously been caught breaking the rules due to the pictures that circulated of him having a gathering on his birthday in June 2020, therefore breaking the rules. He received a fine from the police for this matter. 

The Thames Valley Police have stated they are assessing the information provided and all previous information that has been provided regarding the breaches within Downing Street. 

The Cabinet Office stated the information came through the normal procedure for reviewing documents that are submitted via public inquiries into the part of the government that handles the pandemic. As they are duty-bound to pass on this information to the relevant authorities, they have done so. 

Mr Johnson denies these allegations and he has suggested his actions were lawful and did not breach any restrictions. 

This would not come as a shock to society, but it will likely disappoint others further due to the difficulties most people faced during the pandemic

Written by Gabrielle Coates

Economic analysis reported last week the issue with the premature celebration of the inflation rate. They looked at the main rate of inflation where there has indeed been a decrease of 10% and as the main rate decreases, this will continue with the mechanical consequences of other factors such as energy and food prices. The reported concern as to how permanent these soaring energy prices within the UK, analysis have stated that these are almost considered to become embedded across the economy and will stay for a while.  

Given that, until energy prices stabilises, there is a parallel measure between food and energy prices. Food production costs have risen due to a number of factors including the cost of energy which rose following the end of the COVID lockdown and adverse weather conditions in various parts of Europe and Africa which impact fresh crops. Equally, there has been an interesting shift reported by analysts where they reported that the price of fresh food has fallen marginally whilst the cost of commodities such as coffee and cocoa has increased majorly.

Recent reporting also shows that the UK has a significantly higher inflation rate inclusive of highest food inflation too than France, Germany and US. For now, there is a hope and a reasonable assumption that the UK will become better economically than what the statistics suggest, although the Bank of England will have to monitor inflation rates very closely and any potential complications with European competitors. 

Written by Isadora Carvalho

Over 100,000 students are attempting to sue their universities as a result of the disruption caused by the pandemic and strike action. Due to Covid restrictions, lectures and seminars were either cancelled or moved online, facilities such as libraries and labs were closed, and it took more than a year for universities to return to in-person teaching. This disruption was even further exacerbated due to the industrial action that took place over pay disputes. This strike action resulted in in-person teaching being cancelled or post-poned, often with little to no notice. Not only this, but due to the University and College Union marking boycott that is currently taking place, students are plunged into even more uncertainty. Indeed, student ‘outrage’ has recently made the headlines due to 10,000-word dissertations potentially not being marked due to this boycott. However, despite this “sub-par” experience, students still had to pay their fees in full, with these fees ranging from £9,000 per year to £24,000 on average. 

Consequently, more than 100,000 frustrated students have joined the Student Group Claim (SGC). The SGC believes that students have been let down by their universities and wish to ‘address the power imbalance between those students and graduates affected, and the universities’. To do this, the SGC are working with Asserson and Harcus Parker, experts in group litigation, to bring claimants together under a Group Litigation Order in an attempt to receive ‘the compensation and justice they deserve’. 

The first court hearing was held on Wednesday 24th May, in which 924 University College London (UCL) students and alumni attempted to convince Judge Barbara Fontaine to allow them to pursue their claims against the university for breach of contract. At the hearing, Anna Boase KC told the court that the students at UCL entered a costly bargain and “didn’t get what they bargained for, and they seek justice”. She further explained in a written statement that “UCL owed a duty to provide in-person tuition and physical access to facilities” and that UCL’s “contractual performance fell short of that promised”. 

However, John Taylor KC defended UCL and argued that court action was unnecessary and that the available complaints procedures were “fair, transparent and accessible”. Moreover, John Taylor KC argued that the claims against the University were “formulated at an inappropriately high level of abstraction” due to “the disparity of contractual terms, the thousands of programmed and modules, years of study, different strike dates and different effects of Covid-19”.

Similarly, UCL issued a statement in which vice-president Professor Kathleen Armour stated that the university had not only followed the guidance provided but had provided a “high quality academic experience to students” and that if students wished to complain, they should use the “well-established and free complaints procedure”. 

Although the judgement is yet to be made, this is a “landmark” case, as the outcome will set a precedent. Indeed, if the claim against UCL is permitted, similar claims will be brought against numerous other universities across the country. 

Written by Imogen Ellis

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