June 2022 Lords Government
The June 2022 Interim Government, commonly referred to as a 'Lords' Government' was appointed by King George II on 13 June 2022, governing for a fortnight until the formation of DavidDRothschild's 1st Ministry on 27 June 2022. The Interim Government was highly controversial, being labelled as undemocratic or even unlawful by a plethora of critics.
Appointment & Background
Composition
The Interim Government was composed of the following life members[1]:
| Prime Minister of the United Kingdom | Sir Connor_Novak, the Duke of Oxford |
|---|---|
| First Secretary of StateSecretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport | Sir SidMountbatten, The Duke of Hereford |
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | Sir TylerValois, The Viscount Battram |
| Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs | Sir WilliamCathcart, The Lord Berwick |
| Secretary of State for the Home Department | Sir Zoriby, The Viscount Esher |
| Secretary of State for Defence | Sir NoahACollins, The Marquess of Winchester |
| Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice | Sir HarounSheikh, The Lord Castlereagh |
| Secretary of State for Northern Ireland | Sir Atrophere, The Lord Penrith |
The Government included the portfolio of "Secretary of State for Defence" which is rarely used on Roblox due to the statutorily guaranteed autonomy of the Armed Forces but was, in this case, filled by former Chief of the Defence Staff NoahACollins.
Activities
Legal Battle
On 18 June 2022, 5 days after the formation of the Lords' Government, METINDIA99, who would later change his name to Donnchadh_McGrath, filed a claim in the High Court against His Majesty's Attorney General for England and Wales, alleging that the appointment of the Interim Government was unlawful.[2] The claimant was represented by BarryRuarc KC and AlanHalvorsen of Carey Street Chambers while the respondent was represented by HarounSheikh, who concurrently served as Attorney General(appointed prior to formation of the Interim Government) and as Lord Chancellor in the Interim Government. The claimant argued that the appointment of the Government contradicted the House of Lords Reform Act 2017, which prohibited Lords from serving as Government Ministers.
The High Court, with then-Justice BobJHawke presiding, dismissed the matter on 23 June 2022, based on an application by the respondent, based on an argument that a similar Lords' Government formed in June of 2020 had been "deemed legal by His Majesty's Courts despite being in breach of the House of Lords Reform Act", despite no legal matter arising from that Government being heard by the Courts. The Court's decision goes on to state that "while there may be no legal president, there is precedent of a Lords Government...".[3]
On 26 June 2022, Donnchadh_McGrath filed a petition to appeal the High Court's decision to the House of Lords Appellate Committee, which would be replaced by the Supreme Court during the course of the proceedings. The claimant was not, however, granted leave to appeal until 5 July 2022, when the Lords' Government was no longer in office. Following a remarkably long process, the Supreme Court issued its verdict on 9 August 2022, in favour of the appellant, ruling that the High Court had no proper reason to dismiss the case and that the appointments were unlawful.
At the time of the judgement's issuance, the Lords' Government had left office and changes in legislation—namely the entry into force of the Great Enabling Act 2022— now allowed members of the House of Lords to serve in ministerial roles.
- ↑ https://docs.google.com/document/d/1euFJhTwOnd-8vadZNrDEMhTpvz5YLG0gK1f9BIbcPy0/edit Government Formation Notice June 2022
- ↑ https://drive.google.com/file/d/13ey_fH5dfiZcSXbgOWwKm_OLh8r1IIfb/view?usp=sharingHigh Court Claim in METINDIA99 v Attorney General
- ↑ https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nXse40jZ_Rop8znBLNFP5HZGMHEVKts6/editHigh Court Decision to dismiss in the matter of METINDIA99 v Attorney General