Liz Barratt responds to the Law Society Gazette’s coverage of letters exchanged between the Home Office and the judiciary which were published on the Immigration Law Practitioners Association website yesterday. 

Liz says “At  a time when the government has assumed extreme powers which impact on us all and our daily lives, it is essential that the government can be challenged in the courts and be subject to proper Parliamentary scrutiny. We may all understand the reasons for the assumption of such powers by the executive but we can, and must, expect the executive to respect the role of an independent judiciary. It is therefore very troubling indeed to read that the Home Office have expressed “surprise” at decisions taken by Immigration Judges on bail applications. Judges’ independence from the government and its vital role in upholding the rule of law must be jealously guarded and respected by all, including the Home Office.”