26 January 2017
Week in Brief: UK
BREXIT: The Supreme Court ruled that Article 50 cannot be triggered without the consent of parliament, dismissing the government’s appeal against the earlier High Court judgement.
TORTURE: A Libyan political dissident claims that the SIS (MI6) colluded with the CIA to detain him and send him to Libya where he was imprisoned and tortured. The Supreme Court has decided that he can pursue a civil claim against the then Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, and SIS. The family of the claimant is seeking damages of £1 and an apology.
In other judgements, the Supreme Court dismissed claims by three claimants that the UK had been involved in their unlawful detention and mistreatment after being arrested on suspicion of being insurgents in Afghanistan and Iraq.
NORTHERN IRELAND: Martin McGuinness, the deputy first minister in Northern Ireland who resigned recently, has retired from politics due to ill health. He has a rare genetic disease which he is determined to overcome.
TRIDENT: The Sunday Times has published an article in which it alleges that a Trident missile developed a fault after being fired in a test. The missile, which did not carry a nuclear warhead, veered off course after being fired. There was a news black out arranged by 10 Downing Street, probably because of the imminent vote on Britain’s Trident nuclear deterrent in the House of Commons.
Theresa May has been asked repeatedly whether she knew of the fault and when she knew, but has deflected the questions.
CIVIL SERVICE: A report just published by the Cabinet Office has estimated that the Civil Service wastes approximately £500 million a year in redrawing policy plans which had previously been rejected as unworkable. The reason given was that civil servants were using obsolete IT systems which meant that it was impossible to see whether policy ideas had been rejected in the past.
TOAST: The Foods Standards Agency has advised pubs and restaurants not to sell roast potatoes which have been “fluffed” before being cooked. The warning also applied to burnt toast and to crisps. It seems that people eating these foods may be at a higher risk of contracting cancer. However, scientists have said that the risk is negligible. See comment Crispy Roast Potatoes and Browned Toast a Cancer Risk.
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