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Blog

The Law Lab: A Diary
22 Jul
Labour Party apologises to whistleblowers and broadcaster John Ware over Panorama antisemitism defamation
The Labour Party issued a formal apology to the seven former employees of the Party and journalist John Ware at the High Court today, and agreed to pay substantial damages, as part of a settlement of the defamation case brought against the Party. Patron Law, led by partner Mark Lewis, acted for the claimants, who appeared on the Panorama programme “Is Labour Anti-Semitic?”, which was broadcast in July 2019. The case emanated from false and defamatory allegations directed at the claimants by senior figures within Labour in response to the programme presented by award-winning journalist John Ware, the subject-matter of
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21 Jul
High Court orders Barrister to Disclose Deleted Tweets
The Law Society Gazette reported the decision of Mr Justice Saini to require barrister Daniel Bennett to disclose deleted tweets originally posted by the Twitter account Harry Tuttle. In Collier & others v Bennett, the High Court ruled that Mr Bennett should provide access to the tweets to enable two of the three claimants, David Collier and Rachel Riley, to examine whether the tweets may have been defamatory. Patron Law acted for the claimants, led by partner Mark Lewis.  
4 Jun
Furlough update: The End is Nigh
Friday is often Rishi Sunak day at the Downing Street podium. On 29 May, the Chancellor announced that the furlough scheme, which has been effective from 1 March, will close on 31 October 2020 and will close to new entrants on 10 June. During the final three months of the scheme, employers will have to contribute to the cost of furloughed employees. These are the important changes to the scheme that were announced: • The scheme will continue unchanged until 30 June.• Employers will not be able to place employees on furlough after 10 June 2020. This is to allow
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25 May
Safety at Work
A number of difficult questions arise relating to safety at work as the Government begins to ease people back to into the workplace. After being locked down for eight weeks, since the 23rd of March, many people will be feeling uneasy about returning to their workplace and safety at work. Employers are responsible for creating a Covid-safe work environment.  The Government has issued guidance for employers on how to work safely in different types of workplace.  In addition to that, employers will need to conduct an exercise in employee relations in order to reassure anxious employees who are uncertain whether
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7 May
Commercial Leases during COVID-19
The government measures intended to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus have caused major interruptions to thousands of businesses across the country, many of whom have had no choice but to seek an arrangement with their landlord to reduce or defer the rent payable for their business premises. Others have simply declared that they are unable to pay rent whatsoever. Incentives for Landlords First and foremost, landlords will be keen not to lose their tenant in the current market, for a number of reasons. Although the government announced business rates holidays for businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure
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7 May
Buying and Selling Property during the COVID-19 Pandemic
The current restrictions on our freedom of movement during the Covid-19 pandemic mean that the process of moving to a new home has changed for the foreseeable future. The full government guidance on moving home during the pandemic can be found here. The government has imposed restrictions on how and when we may move from one property to another during the conveyancing process. There are also restrictions on how we may view a property, with many estate agents now offering prospective buyers a virtual viewing experience as an alternative, using video technology. However, the current restrictions do not mean that
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