Lord Sales has delivered a presentation on the role of purpose in legislative interpretation at Oxford University and the University of Notre Dame seminar. In the speech, Lord Sales speaks about the four key issues that arise when identifying legislative purpose in statutory interpretation. These include evidence that can be used to determine purpose, how far courts can assume Parliament considered constitutional or human rights goals, how courts should handle conflicting purposes and, lastly, what happens when conflicting purposes are intentionally obscured or compromised.

Lord Sedwill, the former Cabinet Secretary, has explained to the House of Lords Constitution Committee the content of a letter he wrote in 2020 to Sir Jonathan Jones, then Treasury Solicitor, about the United Kingdom Internal Market Bill. Shortly afterwards the Treasury Solicitor resigned, as did Lord Keen, the Advocate General for Scotland.

The House of Lords Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee has criticised the Home Office for failing to provide sufficient information in support of measures set out in its latest Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules HC 977, which sets out significant changes to immigration policy. The Statement tightens the Skilled Worker visa route by removing care workers/senior care workers from the list of occupations eligible to recruit migrant workers form overseas and tightens conditions for granting Skilled Worker visas—affecting around 180 occupations (which could lead to a 40 drop in grants). The Committee highlighted the lack of consultation and the absence of an impact assessment, which it says severely undermines parliamentary scrutiny. It called for the impact assessment to be published before the end of the current summer recess. The Statement also closes two schemes which assisted Afghans who supported UK operations and aims in Afghanistan, including through resettlement. A submission to the Committee argued this would permanently abandon people in need, especially in light of a 2022 data breach recently revealed through the lifting of a superinjunction. The Home Office responded that most eligible applicants had already applied and that 95% of current applications were found ineligible. The report states that the Committee had previously repeatedly requested the Home Office to provide sufficient information when laying new legislation with potentially significant consequences, but ‘despite acknowledging this to be correct practice’ it had failed to do so again. It includes a link to detailed submissions sent to the Committee by the Work Rights Centre, the Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association and the Home Office.

The House of Lords European Affairs Committee has initiated an inquiry into the reset of UK-EU relations, issuing a call for evidence with a deadline of 7 March 2025. The inquiry will examine both the substance of the reset and the process for achieving its objectives. Key areas of focus include the government's pursuit of closer cooperation in security, defence and trade while maintaining that the UK will not rejoin the EU Single Market, Customs Union or participate in EU freedom of movement. The Committee will also consider the implications of newly agreed regular UK-EU summits and six-monthly foreign policy dialogues. Additionally, the inquiry will address the upcoming expiration of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) provisions on energy and fisheries in June 2026 and the scheduled review of the TCA before its fifth anniversary. Information on submitting evidence by the deadline is available on the Committee's website.

The House of Lords European Affairs Committee has published its first assessment of the Government’s reset of the UK–EU relationship, examining legal and institutional developments arising from the May 2025 summit. The Committee reports that three key agreements were concluded: a UK–EU Security and Defence Partnership, a Joint Statement declaring a new Strategic Partnership, and a Common Understanding setting a framework for future cooperation.

The House of Lords European Affairs Committee has written to the Cabinet Office about proposed UK–EU negotiations on a common sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) area and linking emissions trading systems (ETS). The Committee requests clarity on Parliament’s role in monitoring any dynamic alignment, the negotiation timetable and go-live dates, and expected UK financial contributions to relevant EU agencies and systems. It also asks how a UK–EU ETS link would interact with the EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (EU CBAM) and the UK CBAM, given possible start dates in 2026 or 2027. The letter, dated 17 September 2025, seeks periodic updates and options to avoid EU CBAM charges if an ETS linkage is not in place in time.

The House of Lords Constitution Committee has launched a call for evidence for its inquiry into the UK's constitutional safeguards. The inquiry aims to assess the extent to which the UK's constitutional democracy is under threat, identify existing constitutional safeguards and examine their strengths, weaknesses and vulnerabilities. The Committee also intends to identify ways to make the UK's network of safeguards more effective. Written submissions are invited from stakeholders and must be submitted by 9.00 am on 28 September 2026.

The House of Lords Constitution Committee has launched an inquiry into the rule of law, seeking written evidence from experts and organisations. The inquiry aims to examine the principle's practical application across Parliament, judiciary and executive, while exploring international comparisons. The Committee's investigation will address growing debates about the concept's meaning and implementation in the UK. Written submissions are invited on nine specific questions, including threats to rule of law operation and institutional roles. The deadline for submissions is 15 April 2025.

The House of Lords Constitution Committee has published a report on the Representation of the People Bill, warning that its retrospective restrictions on political donations have not been sufficiently justified and would set an unwelcome precedent. The committee also challenges powers allowing ministers to create criminal offences through regulations without justification, while welcoming measures to safeguard the Electoral Commission’s independence.

The House of Lords Constitution Committee has published a report warning that the rule of law in the UK is under strain and requires urgent protection. The inquiry examined its meaning and significance and found that, while generally robust, it faces growing threats including law-breaking without consequence, visible crimes, delays in the justice system, and misinformation undermining judicial integrity. These factors risk eroding public confidence and fostering extremism and authoritarianism.

The House of Lords Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee has published revised guidance on its role, on principles related to delegated powers, and on preparation of delegated powers memoranda. In response, the Cabinet Office has updated its guide to making legislation to reflect the publication of this guidance.

The House of Lords Library has published a briefing detailing how the crown court backlog reached a record 73,105 cases in September 2024. The Labour government has responded with several measures, including commissioning an independent review led by Sir Brian Leveson in December 2024, increasing crown court sitting days to 110,000 for 2025/26, and providing £116m in additional legal aid funding. The briefing outlines how delays are impacting victims, witnesses and defendants, with 17,023 people held on remand as of December 2024—20% of the total prison population.