"In Defence of Classical Administrative Law", by @philipmurraylaw and me, has now been published in the Cambridge Law Journal on FirstView. It is available via the following link (open access): doi.org/10.1017/S000...

A reminder, following the conviction of Jimmy Lai, that two senior British lawyers—a former Law Lord and a former Supreme Court President—continue to lend respectability to the Hong Kong legal system by sitting as non-permanent judges on its highest court. www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...

New post: Correcting the record on the ‘primacy’ of the House of Commons publiclawforeveryone.com/2025/12/15/c...

I'm grateful to the Sunday Times for publishing my letter on the constitutional role of the House of Lords, correcting the misleading impression created by an open letter signed by several former Cabinet Secretaries. www.thetimes.com/comment/lett...

My speech of today to NIHRC now published in full by Joshua Rozenberg: “The ECHR - the view from London and Strasbourg”

The dialogue between Mark Elliott and Lord Sales here is fascinating. Ironically enough, in my thesis I conclude that parliamentary intent - at least as judicially conceptualised - rarely if ever makes it into drafting considerations. A point which courts perhaps need to consider.

Lord Sales devoted a recent lecture on the principle of legality to responding to my critique of one of his judgments. Here, I argue that our disagreement ultimately turns on sharply contrasting, and increasingly consequential, visions of the constitution publiclawforeveryone.com/2025/12/07/t...

Lord Sales devoted a recent lecture on the principle of legality to responding to my critique of one of his judgments. Here, I argue that our disagreement ultimately turns on sharply contrasting, and increasingly consequential, visions of the constitution publiclawforeveryone.com/2025/12/07/t...

This letter from former Cabinet Secretaries and others is straightforwardly wrong regarding the constitutional role of the House of Lords relative to the role of the Commons. /1

Simon Jenkins claims in the Guardian that it would be a 'democratic outrage' if the House of Lords were to block the Terminally Ill Adults Bill: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... That claim is constitutional nonsense, for the reasons I explain here: publiclawforeveryone.com/2025/06/20/w...

New post: Tyranny, anarchy and the rule of law: Reflections on a major report by the Constitution Committee publiclawforeveryone.com/2025/11/20/t...

Now published in the Cambridge Law Journal (open access): 'Administrative Law Doctrine and Constitutional Principle in the Supreme Court' My case note on the judgment in R (Spitalfields) v Tower Hamlets LBC [2025] UKSC 11 doi.org/10.1017/S000...

Indeed. There are plenty of other questions, too, that are unanswered by a white paper that, given how long it has been in the making, is surprisingly light on detail. I flag some of the key legal and constitutional questions that need to be answered here: publiclawforeveryone.com/2025/11/17/t...

Very good on the legal implications of today's proposals. There's still a lot of missing details.

Excellent place to start on the legal and constitutional implications of the asylum white paper. And, as ever, Mark manages to pen these articulate thoughts so fast.

New post The legal and constitutional implications of the asylum white paper: Some initial thoughts publiclawforeveryone.com/2025/11/17/t...

New post In a recent lecture, Lord Briggs places renewed emphasis on the common law’s ability to protect human rights, and argues that we should not doubt its capaity to step in if the UK were to withdraw from the ECHR. Is such optimism well-founded? publiclawforeveryone.com/2025/11/14/m...

Thank you for contributing & for this excellent lens on the discussions. Externalising/othering constitutional (fundamental) rights takes the othering of the individuals they protect to an extreme. Migration debates are instrumentalised to justify a broader assault on human&constitutional rights.

An interesting opportunity from the Constitution Society: 'The Constitution Society invites applications for a Research Fellowship dedicated to promoting the life and constitutional contributions of Richard Haldane (1856-1928).' consoc.org.uk/haldane-rese...

New post Prompted by an excellent conference at @biicl.bsky.social marking the ECHR's 75th anniversary, I reflect in this piece on key themes about the likely trajectory of the UK's human rights debate, given the current (and developing) political climate. publiclawforeveryone.com/2025/11/07/t...

TEXTILE SHAKESPEARE is official-publication-date-minus-2-weeks (11 November) which is a LOT👀 (I can't remember feeling this wound up about other books, I have the concentration of a gnat at the moment🙄) but seems to be live as an e-book already so, available to your Kindle right now, apparently...

This latest "barrister meets AI" disaster is something all stage 1 law students should read. It is vital about the key skill of case reading - you mustn't use AI to substitute for the skill of being able to find cases and find key content in cases: tribunalsdecisions.service.gov.uk/utiac/ui-202...

NEW - UPDATE POST Did the CPS make a fundamental mistake with the charging decision in the Chinese spying case? How the CPS may have asked the wrong legal question and so made a wrong charging decision By me emptycity.substack.com/p/did-the-cp...

Trying to make sense of the China spy case? Join @profmarkelliott.bsky.social, @ruthfox.bsky.social & @darcyxtip.bsky.social on our Parliament Matters podcast as they unpack the key issues and what they mean for Parliament. 🎧 New episode out tomorrow. Listen and subscribe here: pod.link/1714627828

New post, following publication of the Deputy National Security Adviser's witness statements in the China case: No winners in the China espionage blame game: Six outstanding questions for prosecutors and ministers publiclawforeveryone.com/2025/10/16/n...

An extraordinary outburst—directed at a small hospice charity subject to devastating funding cuts—from the CEO of a major NHS trust. I doubt that Arthur Rank Hospices's patients and families share his assessment of the 'value' of the oustanding care provided. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

A few preliminary thoughts on/questions prompted by the China espionage case witness statements, which have now been published. /1 www.gov.uk/government/p...

I was pleased to speak with Sarah Montague on BBC Radio 4's The World at One today about the latest developments concerning the collapse of the China espionage trial. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Excellent, forensic analysis of the many twists and turns (so far) of the China espionage case.

NEW Trying to make sense of the nonsensical decision to drop the Chinese spying prosecutions How the positions of neither the CPS nor the government stand up to scrutiny By me emptycity.substack.com/p/trying-to-...

I was pleased to hear my analysis of the China espionage case being relied on by the Leader of the Opposition in yesterday’s House of Commons debate. parliamentlive.tv/event/index/...

New post, in which I argue the government's attempt to pin the blame for the collapse of the China spy trial on a single official will not wash constitutionally. Ministers must bear responsibility for an apparently deeply flawed decision-making process. publiclawforeveryone.com/2025/10/13/c...

New post | Cock-up or conspiracy? The Security Minister’s statement on the China espionage case /1 publiclawforeveryone.com/2025/10/13/c...

A very helpful post on the Palestine Action judicial review so far. In particular, I agree with @conorcrummey.bsky.social that the court's approach to the argument concering ultra vires/the principle of legality was problematic. /1 ukconstitutionallaw.org/2025/10/13/c...

It will be interesting to see what Ministers are prepared to say about the China spying case from the despatch box. I am surprising that this morning's line to take still seems to turn on China not having been "designated" a threat/enemy by the last government. /1

A letter from @crwerren.bsky.social @suzmd.bsky.social @storiesfromjack.bsky.social and me on the plans to allow cumulatively disruptive protests to be regulated by the police www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

Really enjoyed this piece. "Lawyers and academics therefore find themselves in the difficult position of ... trying to reason people away from a view or belief they never reasoned themselves into to begin with. We are bringing facts to a vibes fight."

I was pleased to speak to Sky News about the China espionage case, including the difficulties that arise from the PM's attempts to explain why the CPS dropped the charges following the government's failure to provide relevant national security-related evidence. news.sky.com/story/the-bl...

New post | On China, the Official Secrets Act and 'enemies': Is the Prime Minister wrong? publiclawforeveryone.com/2025/10/08/o...

Excellent (but depressing) analysis by @gsoh31.bsky.social on the fragile state of higher education in the UK. This passage particularly struck me. politicalquarterly.org.uk/blog/where-n...

This is happening up and down the country. It's heartbreaking and the Government needs to join the dots.

A report on tonight’s Channel 4 News about the devastating funding cuts at Arthur Rank Hospice in Cambridge. It is unconscionable to reduce access to palliative care while simultaneously contemplating the legalisation of medically assisted suicide. www.channel4.com/news/budget-...

Just as the state contemplates the possibility of a fully-funded assisted dying service, public funding for the award-winning Arthur Rank House Hospice in Cambridge is being cut by almost £1 million pa, risking the closure of nearly half of its in-patient unit. www.arhc.org.uk/protectourca...

It was a great pleasure to speak at today's annual training day for the Administrative Court (at the Oval cricket ground: hence the photo!), looking at how recent case law intersects with key academic debates about substantive judicial review.

A new paper from Philip Murray and me: 'In Defence of Classical Administrative Law'. We argue that the voidness of unlawful administrative acts is central to the rule of law and that recent challenges to that view can and should be resisted. publiclawforeveryone.com/2025/09/16/i...

Good stuff from @profmarkelliott.bsky.social. Mark's right, I think, that the Supreme Court's recent practice of issuing bland, single judgments "has arguably had the effect of oversimplifying, or at least obscuring important and contentious issues". publiclawforeveryone.com/2025/07/29/t...

There is a risk that this will get missed over the summer, so just to flag up this important call for evidence on human rights and the regulation of AI from the Joint Committee on Human Rights (and deadline for response is 5 September) - committees.parliament.uk/work/9220/hu...

In which I am not impressed by Suella Braverman’s plans for leaving the ECHR. open.substack.com/pub/georgepe...

New blogpost The Supreme Court’s judgment in Shvidler v Foreign Secretary: Lord Leggatt’s Liversidge v Anderson moment publiclawforeveryone.com/2025/07/29/t...

Another opportunity to join Durham Law School as a three-year career development fellow in public law. A great Law School and a vibrant public law community with opportunities to teach in both core and optional modules, and excellent support for research. www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DNX378/c...