OneLaw Chambers, 1 Bedford Row, London (2026)

21/10/2026

⚖️ Made Redundant in the UK? Know Your Rights! 🇬🇧

Losing your job can be stressful, but understanding your legal rights is the first step towards protecting yourself.

💼 What should you do if you’ve been made redundant in the UK?

🤔 What rights do you have as an employee?

⚖️ What legal options are available to you?

🎥 In this video, our legal expert at OneLaw Chambers explains what you need to know about redundancy in the UK and the steps you can take to protect your rights.

📩 Need legal advice? Get in touch with OneLaw Chambers today!

14/10/2026

🇬🇧 Reform UK Pledges to Suspend the UK’s Asylum System for Up to Five Years

Reform UK has unveiled a controversial proposal to effectively suspend the UK’s asylum system for an entire parliamentary term, potentially lasting five years, if the party wins a general election.

The proposals represent a significant shift in UK immigration policy and could have far-reaching implications for asylum seekers, refugee protection, and human rights legislation.

🔹 Key Proposals Include:

🚫 Suspension of Asylum Applications

* Reject all new asylum applications and invalidate existing claims.
* End grants of refugee status and humanitarian protection.
* Close legal refugee routes and resettlement schemes, with limited exceptions.

⚖️ Major Changes to Human Rights Law

* Withdraw the UK from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
* Repeal the Human Rights Act 1998.
* Disapply the 1951 Refugee Convention to limit legal challenges to deportations.
* Abolish the asylum tribunal system.

✈️ Mass Deportation Programme

* Deport approximately 90,000 people with pending asylum appeals.
* Establish a dedicated immigration detention and deportation agency.
* Expand detention capacity to an estimated 24,000–28,000 spaces.

🌍 Visa Restrictions and International Pressure

* Introduce visa bans targeting countries that refuse to cooperate with deportations, potentially including Pakistan, Somalia, Eritrea, Syria, Afghanistan, and Sudan.
* Consider economic sanctions, asset freezes, and tariffs against non-cooperating countries.

🗣️ Political and Public Reactions

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage described the situation as a “national security emergency”, arguing that stricter immigration enforcement is necessary to protect British citizens and reduce public spending.

📰 Source: BBC News

06/10/2026

🇬🇧 Iraqi migrant wins ECHR family life case and is allowed to remain in the UK

An Iraqi national has been granted indefinite leave to remain in the UK following a long-running immigration and human rights case.

According to The Telegraph, the Upper Tribunal accepted that removing him from the UK would breach his Article 8 rights under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) — the right to respect for private and family life.

🔹 Key points from the case:

• Asad Rasul Osman first entered the UK in 2002 at the age of 16 and claimed asylum.

• In 2003, aged 17, he was convicted of conspiracy to commit violent disorder and sentenced to 20 months in a young offenders’ institution.

• He later married a British citizen and the couple have four children.

• After returning voluntarily to Iraq in 2008, he subsequently came back to the UK in 2010.

• His removal appeal was successful on human rights grounds in 2012, and he was later granted discretionary leave to remain.

• During further applications for indefinite leave, evidence was presented about the significant impact that the prolonged immigration process had had on him and his family.

⚖️ The Upper Tribunal noted that the Home Office had accepted that his Article 8 rights justified a further grant of leave, particularly because of:

👉 his long-established private and family life in the UK
👉 the impact of removal on his family
👉 the best interests of his children

The case highlights the important role that Article 8 ECHR and family life considerations can play in UK immigration decisions, particularly where an individual has developed substantial and long-standing ties to the UK.

📰 Source: The Telegraph

29/09/2026

Job Title: Business Development Manager
SOC 2020 Code: 3556 — Sales accounts and business development managers
Salary: £56,000 per annum
Hours of Work: 37.5 hours per week, 9:00am to 5:30pm, Monday to Friday, with a one-hour unpaid lunch break
Work Location: OneLaw Chambers, Hamilton House, 1 Temple Avenue, Temple, London EC4Y 0HA, with periodic business travel to the United Arab Emirates (Dubai and Abu Dhabi) and elsewhere as required
Reports to: Director

Job Summary
The Business Development Manager is responsible for planning and leading the firm’s growth into new services, new client segments and new markets. The postholder will identify and win high net worth and corporate clients, structure and manage retained client relationships, and lead the firm’s market entry activity in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, building relationships with businesses, family offices, professional intermediaries and community organisations across the UAE and the wider Gulf. Working directly with the Director, the postholder will develop the commercial case for each new service line and market, set and monitor business development targets, and report on pipeline, revenue and return on investment.

How to Apply:
If you are interested in the role, please email your CV and a covering letter to: [email protected] to discuss further.

29/09/2026

Job Title: Chinese Interpreter and Translator (Mandarin)
SOC 2020 Code: 3412 — Authors, writers and translators
Salary: £42,000 per annum
Hours of Work: 37.5 hours per week, 9:00am to 5:30pm, Monday to Friday, with a one-hour unpaid lunch break
Work Location: OneLaw Chambers, Hamilton House, 1 Temple Avenue, Temple, London EC4Y 0HA, with regular travel to courts, tribunals, counsel’s chambers and client meetings in England and Wales
Reports to: Director

Job Summary
The Chinese Interpreter and Translator is responsible for providing the firm’s in-house interpreting and translation service for its Chinese-speaking clients, principally in Mandarin. The postholder will interpret at client meetings, case conferences and conferences with counsel, and at court and tribunal attendances before, during breaks in and after hearings; will translate witness statements, exhibits, correspondence and official documents between Chinese and English to a standard suitable for filing with courts, tribunals and the Home Office; and will maintain the firm’s legal terminology resources, working closely with the solicitors and barristers conducting each matter to ensure that clients understand, and are accurately understood in, their proceedings.

How to Apply:
If you are interested in the role, please email your CV and a covering letter, stating your working languages and any interpreting or translation qualifications, to: [email protected] to discuss further.

29/09/2026

🇬🇧 UK Home Secretary Signals Rethink on Proposed Settlement Reforms

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has indicated that the Government may reconsider parts of its proposed reforms to Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), following concerns raised by Labour MPs and trade unions.

🔹 What had been proposed?

* The standard qualifying period for permanent residence could increase from 5 years to 10 years for many migrants.
* Some workers who entered the UK through Health and Social Care visa routes could potentially face a qualifying period of up to 15 years.

🔹 What has changed?

* Mahmood acknowledged concerns that some aspects of the proposed reforms may be viewed as unfair.
* She said the Government would seek to strike a balance between fairness for people who came to the UK legally and fairness for British citizens.
* Home Office sources have stressed that no final decision has yet been made on the proposed changes.

🔹 Growing pressure over transitional arrangements
The proposals have faced opposition from a number of Labour MPs and trade unions, particularly over their potential impact on migrants who are already living and working in the UK under the existing rules.

Trade union Unison has also raised concerns that tougher settlement requirements could disproportionately affect overseas care workers.

🔹 Government position
Mahmood said future settlement policy would focus on the principle that permanent residence should be “earned” through a consistent commitment to the UK, while also recognising the position of people who migrated legally under existing arrangements.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said the Government is still considering responses to the consultation and that the reforms will need to “strike the right balance”.

📌 Key takeaway:
The proposed extension of the ILR qualifying period has not been finalised. The Government appears to be actively considering changes to the proposals, including how any new rules should apply to migrants who are already in the UK.

📰 Source: BBC News

21/09/2026

🇬🇧 UK trade unions are urging the government to soften proposed immigration rule changes that could significantly extend the route to permanent settlement for migrant workers.

The proposals would change how long many migrants need to live in the UK before qualifying for Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR).

🔹 What is being proposed?

• The standard route to settlement could increase from 5 years to 10 years for most migrants.

• Workers who came to the UK on health and social care visas could face a 15-year wait before qualifying for settlement.

• People who have relied on benefits for more than 12 months could potentially face a 20-year qualifying period.

• The proposed changes could also apply to people already living and working in the UK, including some who had expected to qualify for settlement in the coming months.

🔹 Trade unions push back

Delegates at the Trades Union Congress (TUC) backed a motion calling on the government to withdraw changes affecting workers who are already in the UK.

The motion also called for the existing five-year route to settlement for workers to be retained and was reportedly passed unanimously.

🔹 Concerns over health and social care workers

Unison argues that many overseas workers came to the UK to help address severe staffing shortages in the NHS and social care sector on the understanding that they could qualify for settlement after five years.

Unison head Andrea Egan said changing the rules part-way through the process would effectively mean changing the terms under which those workers originally came to the UK.

The Society of Radiographers also highlighted the contribution of international workers to NHS staffing and said international technician numbers had fallen by more than 1,500, or around 12%, between January and March this year.

📰 Source: BBC News

14/09/2026

🚨 Anti-immigration activists reportedly considering using their own boat to intercept Channel crossings

According to the Express, members of the anti-immigration protest group Patriot Platform are reportedly discussing plans to take a hired vessel into the English Channel in an attempt to intercept small boats carrying migrants from France to the UK.

The proposal is said to remain at an early stage, but it has raised serious concerns over safety, public order and potential disruption in one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.

🔹 What has been reported?

• Activists are reportedly considering entering international waters in a privately hired boat.

• The group could attempt to block migrant dinghies or force them back towards the French coast.

• Such action could potentially trigger intervention from UK Border Force or the French coastguard.

• An insider reportedly acknowledged that the tactic “could end in tragedy”, while describing growing anger among activists over Channel crossings.

⚠️ Recent tensions on the south coast

The report follows a series of anti-immigration demonstrations in Portsmouth and Dover.

• In Portsmouth, protesters clashed with police near Eastney Docks after around 120 migrants were brought ashore by an RNLI lifeboat.

• Activists later reportedly followed coaches transporting asylum seekers to Home Office facilities.

• In Dover, demonstrators wearing balaclavas marched through the town under a heavy police presence.

🗣️ Political reaction

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage condemned the masked demonstrations, describing the scenes in Dover as “disgusting” and arguing that protesters, regardless of their political views, should not be permitted to conceal their identities with balaclavas.

The reported plans highlight the increasingly tense debate surrounding small-boat crossings, immigration enforcement and public protests in the UK.

📰 Source: Express

07/09/2026

🚨 Hundreds Protest in Portsmouth After Small Boat Carrying Around 140 Migrants Arrives on Hampshire Coast

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in Portsmouth on Sunday evening after a small boat carrying around 140 migrants was intercepted near Eastney and its passengers brought ashore.

The incident has attracted particular attention because the boat reportedly departed from the Baie de Seine area in France, significantly further west than the routes more commonly associated with Channel crossings.

🔹 What happened?

• Around 140 migrants are believed to have been brought ashore near Eastney, Portsmouth, before being transferred for immigration processing.

• Hundreds of protesters gathered in the area, blocking roads and chanting “Stop the boats”, leading police to introduce a dispersal order.

• Hampshire Police received support from officers from other forces as authorities sought to manage the demonstration and maintain access to the area.

• Treasury minister Emma Reynolds condemned the behaviour of some demonstrators, saying it had gone beyond peaceful protest and become “thuggish and intimidating”.

🌊 A potential shift in small boat routes?

French authorities described the departure from the western Baie de Seine area as “unusual”, as small boats have traditionally departed from areas further north along the French coast.

The incident has therefore raised questions about whether people-smuggling networks may be exploring new and longer routes towards the UK, potentially creating additional challenges for Border Force, the Coastguard and local authorities.

⚖️ Border control remains under political pressure

The Home Office said more than 48,000 crossing attempts have been prevented and around 1,100 boats and engines seized since the election. It also stated that small boat crossings are down this year, while acknowledging that further action is required.

📰 Source: The Independent

20/08/2026

🇬🇧 Reform UK proposes sweeping welfare restrictions for foreign nationals

Reform UK has unveiled a major proposal to overhaul Britain’s welfare system, including plans to exclude most foreign nationals from accessing a wide range of benefits.

The proposal would also apply to EU citizens with settled status, meaning that if implemented, the UK could need to renegotiate parts of its post-Brexit agreement with the EU.

🔎 Key points from the proposal:

* 🚫 Restrict access to most benefits for foreign nationals, including Universal Credit, housing benefit, child benefit, pension credit, disability benefits and free childcare.
* 🇪🇺 EU nationals with settled status would also be affected, potentially triggering negotiations with the EU and reciprocal consequences for British citizens living in Europe.
* 💷 Reform UK claims the policy could save around £21 billion per year by its fifth year, while its broader welfare package is projected by the party to save approximately £50 billion annually.
* 👷 A proposed “welfare-to-work” programme would require some people who have been receiving benefits for more than 12 months, and are considered fit to work, to undertake 20 hours of community work per week.
* 🏢 Businesses with more than five employees could also be required to purchase “return-to-work cover” insurance, designed to help fund the first two years after an employee is signed off sick.
* ♿ Reform is also proposing changes to the disability benefits system, including replacing the current Personal Independence Payment (PIP) framework with a new assessment model.

📊 The proposals have already attracted significant debate.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) noted that a large proportion of the projected savings would depend on a tougher disability needs assessment, while highlighting that there is currently limited detail on how the new system would work in practice.

📰 Source: BBC News

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