Immigration

It was settled law that, where special expertise was required, the court had to grant a wide margin to the secretary of state’s decision in matters of national security and foreign policy and the court should not substitute its judgment for that of the secretary of state. The executive took responsibility for issues of national security and the handling of international relations and was democratically accountable for the merits of the decisions of Parliament. The court reserved to itself the responsibility for seeing that the decision complied with the law, was not irrational and complied strictly with procedural requirements. The secretary of state had accordingly been entitled to have regard to the welfare of the local staff and to the protection of British property in Tehran in refusing entry to the UK to a prominent Iranian dissident.