What's the law

Laws are rules created and enforced by a government or social institution to regulate behavior, resolve disputes, and maintain order. They are made by a legislative process, such as Parliament passing a bill, and are used to guide how people should act, outline what is prohibited, and establish consequences for violations

UK Law

Here you will find information about existing legislation for the UK, Scotland, and Wales, as well as details on bills currently before the UK Parliament. Enjoy!

UK Law Date of Royal Assent
**Violent Works Bill**: The UK is the first country in the world to make it illegal to possess, create, and distribute violent works. Definition: violent works are depictions or representations of violent acts, which can include physical violence, emotional and psychological violence, and various forms of brutality. 04/08/2024
**Death Penalty Bill**: The death penalty is to be given for the most serious offences, these include Rape, Murder, serious assaults, etc... 03/04/2023
**Assisted Dying Bill**: The Assisted Dying Bill allows terminally ill, mentally competent adults to choose how and when they want to end their own lives. Furthermore, the bill grants doctors the authority to decide whether to end the lives of individuals who are suffering but are not mentally competent to make these decisions themselves, such as those with severe mental illness. 02/03/2025
**Public Order Offences Bill**: Swearing in public: This bill gives the police the power to make an arrest where a member of the public has used offensive language. 09/02/1972
**Border Security, Asylum, and Immigration Bill**: This bill grants immigration officers the authority to deny citizenship to anyone who does not integrate into UK life. Citizenship can be revoked regardless of the individual’s place of birth, and this power also extends to those with British parents. 08/03 2025
**Public Indecency Bill**: This bill, once it reaches royal assent, will punish those who do anything that is lewd, obscene, or disgusting in public. 02/04/1979
Scottish Laws Date of Royal Assent
Non-Domestic Rates (Liability for Unoccupied Properties) (Scotland) Act 2025: This emergency bill was passed in late November 2025 to address an error that left a legal loophole in levying non-domestic rates on unoccupied properties since April 2023. 23/11/2025
Children (Scotland) Act 2020: This act received Royal Assent in October 2020 and introduced several reforms. It aims to make family court proceedings more child-friendly, including giving more weight to a child's views and providing further protection for victims of domestic abuse. 13/10/2020
Children (Equal Protection from Assault) (Scotland) Act 2019: This law removed the legal defense of "reasonable chastisement," meaning physical punishment of children is no longer a legal defense for assault. 20/10/2019
Trust and Succession (Scotland) Act 2024: Simplifies intestacy rules by giving spouses and civil partners a higher priority in inheriting the estate. 13/04/2024
Welsh Laws Date of Royal Assent
Environment (Wales) Act 2016 This act is a cornerstone of environmental law in Wales, focusing on the sustainable use of natural resources and climate change. It includes measures for the collection and disposal of waste and the introduction of charges for carrier bags. The act sets targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and provides a framework for managing natural resources. 19/04/2016
Environmental Protection (Single-use Plastic Products) (Wales) Act 2023 This law makes it a criminal offense to supply or offer to supply a range of single-use plastic products to consumers. Banned items include plastic cutlery, plates, polystyrene cups and food containers, plastic-stemmed cotton buds, and plastic bags. 18/05/2023
Environment (Air Quality and Soundscapes) (Wales) Act 2024: This act aims to improve air quality and reduce the impact of pollution on health, nature, and the economy. It establishes a national strategy for soundscapes, mandates the production of noise maps and action plans, and includes provisions for enforcing air quality regulations. 12/02/2024
The Health and Social Care (Wales) Act 2025 is set to effectively ban profit in providing fostering or children's home placements for looked-after children in Wales, with some exceptions. Currently being debated in the Welsh Parliament.