This sits together with the Nathan Gill story - stop and search authority the same in each case: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

'They emerged after Gill was stopped at Manchester Airport on 13 September 2021 under the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019.' www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

'Intelligence sources accept the need for scrutiny, challenge and improvement – it is “in our DNA,” says one – but they continue to question whether the balance is right, noting that the agencies have “finite” capacity.' www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/09...

Neighbourhood pride: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The McCullough Review on the PSNI's covert measures against journalists, lawyers etc... www.psni.police.uk/sites/defaul...

The Chair of the Afghanistan Inquiry has refused the MoD's application for a restriction order relating to the Pughsley report on Operation Northmoor: iiaweb-prod.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/20250924_Pug...

'As well as journalists, Mr McCullough has looked at how covert measures may have been used against lawyers and others. It is understood his report runs to around 200 pages.' www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

'Defining China as an enemy goes beyond normal government language and may not have pleased Beijing... However, the issue is well established and was known about when Cash and Berry were charged.' www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

'A senior SAS source told The Sun: “The government-sponsored legal advice to our people is no longer to engage [with the Afghanistan Inquiry.” We understand the advice came from lawyers paid by the Ministry of Defence to act on behalf of the SAS and its veterans.' www.thesun.co.uk/news/3676921...

I wrote an article about last year's amendments to the Investigatory Powers Act and how they relate to the recent Apple encryption case, the growing use of AI by UK secret intelligence services, and the role of private intelligence services like Palantir. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

'Parkinson indicated that one factor in securing a conviction would have entailed proving that China was an "enemy" as stated in the Official Secrets Act 1911.' www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

This seems to suggest that the MoD is seeking JR of what the Afghanistan Inquiry is calling its 'Green Hearings': www.khaama.com/uk-special-f...

'“This appears to be the first time in any tribunal proceedings in which MI5 publicly accept interference with a journalist’s communications data, and also publicly accept that they acted unlawfully in doing so,” Bunting said.' www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

'In documents submitted to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, MI5 conceded unlawfully obtaining communications data from Mr Kearney's phone on two occasions in 2006 and 2009.' www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

'Prosecutor Tom Little told the court on Monday that his team would offer no evidence against the pair and that "we simply cannot continue to prosecute this case".' www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...?

'The Sayce report is expected to be published in the next few months alongside a plan to overhaul the benefit.' www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Philippe Lagassé and Sebastian Payne, "Statutory intelligence, prerogative deployments: Explaining varying legal authorities for national security in Westminster states" (King's Law Journal, Ahead of Print) www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Paul Scott, "Security vetting in the commonwealth five eyes states" (King's Law Journal, Ahead of Print) www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Bernard Keenan, "From interception to integration: encryption, bulk data, and the investigatory powers regime" (King's Law Journal, Ahead of Print) www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Sebastian Payne and I have a new article out in King's Law Journal. The article examines why the royal prerogative has been displaced for intelligence, but not international military deployments. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Events: Global South Network Guest Lecture/Public Law Call for Editors/Centre for Constitutions in Context Inaugural Lecture/ Book Launch ukconstitutionallaw.org/2025/09/12/e...

Stephen Tierney: The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill – a dangerous licence for executive law-making ukconstitutionallaw.org/2025/09/12/s...

Jonathan Collinson: From Learning to Lawyering: When Can Political Accountability Have Legal Consequences? ukconstitutionallaw.org/2025/09/11/j...

Forthcoming in the IPT: investigatorypowerstribunal.org.uk/hearings/

Just seen an academic job advert where you get a day off on your birthday.

1875 - the Attorney General de facto puts an end to hundreds of years of denization:

1875 - the Attorney General de facto puts an end to hundreds of years of denization:

The Diego Garcia/BIOT Bill will have its second reading next week:

Cabinet meeting (1928):

To be fair, if all AI can do is write emails then that shouldn't stop it taking my job on recent evidence.

'We have particular interest in scholars whose research is relevant to some aspect of defence or national security policy.' www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DOO834/l...

Gareth Evans: The Devolution of the Crown Estate in Wales ukconstitutionallaw.org/2025/09/04/g...

David Erdos: How Exposed? The Information Commissioner’s Office and the Afghan Spreadsheet Data Breach ukconstitutionallaw.org/2025/09/03/d...

Missed this over summer. The second JR of a final order under the NSIA2021: 'For the reasons given above and in my CLOSED judgment, I reject all Grounds other than Ground 3. In relation to Ground 3, I do not consider that the failure to set out sufficient reasons in the Final Order invalidates it.'

Worth keeping an eye on re Scotland: the Govt has so far said 'this is complicated because of devolution' and 'we'll need to think about it later'.

From the end of last month, the IPT writes to the IPC about the Beth case: ipco-wpmedia-prod-s3.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/Letter-Presi...

'While the UK has agreed to rescind the [TCN], it has yet to be formally withdrawn, a person familiar with the matter said.'

Intriguing: investigatorypowerstribunal.org.uk/judgement/co...

'Ordering that the will of Freddie Scappaticci... should not be open for public inspection as is usual, Sir Julian Flaux said it was the first time this had been done for a person who was not a member of the royal family.' www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Paolo Sandro: Parliamentary democracy under the veil of secrecy: the Afghan leak super-injunction case as a bonfire of constitutional principles ukconstitutionallaw.org/2025/07/23/p...

Anurag Deb and Nicholas Kilford: Conditioning the UK Parliament’s power to legislate for a devolved part of the UK: Part I – The Climate Change Act (Northern Ireland) 2022 ukconstitutionallaw.org/2025/07/22/a...

Update on the National Security and Investment Act 2021: questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-stat...