Reimagining the Law 15 June 2020

As June 15th is the anniversary of the Magna Carta, today's ideas focus on contemporary Rule of Law challenges.

1. Make meaningful the Rule of Law's promise of equal protection

Magna Carta stands for Equality Before the Law, but ensuring the law protects everyone equally is the Cinderella of Rule of Law principles. To earn the confidence of BAME communities that the Rule of Law is for them, all relevant recommendations should be urgently implemented, starting with Windrush, Lammy, Grenfell and PHE reports.
Murray Hunt

2. Discrimination as a Virus

If we thought of discrimination as a virus, we could then incorporate public health approaches into equality law to tackle it. This would mean prioritising treatment at the individual level as well as at the societal and environmental level. Positive action would then become a norm alongside individual litigation.
Iyiola Solanke

3. The Rule of Law and Human Rights in Foreign Policy

The UK claims commitment to the UN's concept of a "rules-based international order". Is that equivalent to rule of law? good governance? human rights? democracy? Given China, Russia etc. is it desirable or possible to pursue a 'moral' foreign policy? Is it time for a duty to reflect this commitment in aid, trade and our use of soft power?
Professor Sir Jeffrey Jowell QC KCMG

4. Decolonise the legal curriculum

I wish that the contribution of African thinkers to the Rule of Law, human rights and democracy was more prominent in my legal education. Without leading black thinkers in the textbooks it is hard to imagine becoming one myself.
Michael Abiodun Olatokun FRSA

5. Why aren't we educating children?

Why do we not better educate children about the fundamentals of the rule of law and of our constitution?
The Rt Hon Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury

6. Access to justice

There should be a plain English audit of all guidance issued and forms used by central and local government bodies dealing with housing, benefits and immigration claims to ensure that they are easily understood and all personnel dealing with those claims should be trained to be as helpful as possible.
Edward Sparrow