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07 March 2014
Issue: 7597 / Categories: Legal News
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The Litvinenko affair

Pressure on home secretary to hold an inquiry

A leading solicitor has called on the home secretary to hold an inquiry into the poisoning of Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko.

Writing in NLJ this weekLouis Flannery, partner and head of international arbitration at Stephenson Harwood, says the coroner has requested an inquest in two months’ time. Home Secretary Theresa May now faces a quandary about government materials relevant to the inquest but kept secret under a public interest immunity certificate.

“[The home secretary] must either accept that a public inquiry is now essential, or she must come up with other compelling reasons to refuse to hold an inquiry,” says Flannery.

Former KGB agent turned whistleblower Litvinenko died from radiation poisoning in London in 2006.

Issue: 7597 / Categories: Legal News
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MOVERS & SHAKERS

42BR Barristers—4 Brick Court

42BR Barristers—4 Brick Court

42BR Barristers to be joined by leading family law set, 4 Brick Court, this summer

Winckworth Sherwood—Rubianka Winspear

Winckworth Sherwood—Rubianka Winspear

Real estate and construction energy offering boosted by partner hire

Gateley Legal—Daniel Walsh

Gateley Legal—Daniel Walsh

Firm bolsters real estate team with partner hire in Birmingham

NEWS
A wave of housing and procedural reforms is set to test the limits of tribunal capacity. In his latest Civil Way column for NLJ this week, Stephen Gold charts sweeping change as the Renters’ Rights Act 2025 begins biting
Plans to reduce jury trials risk missing the real problem in the criminal justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, David Wolchover of Ridgeway Chambers argues the crown court backlog is fuelled not by juries but weak cases slipping through a flawed ‘50%’ prosecution test
Emerging technologies may soon transform how courts determine truth in deeply personal disputes. In this week's NLJ, Madhavi Kabra of 1 Hare Court and Harry Lambert of Outer Temple Chambers explore how neurotechnology could reshape family law
A controversial protest case has reignited debate over the limits of free expression. In NLJ this week, Nicholas Dobson examines a Quran-burning incident testing public order law
The courts have drawn a firm line under attempts to extend arbitration appeals. Writing in NLJ this week, Masood Ahmed of the University of Leicester highlights that if the High Court refuses permission under s 68 of the Arbitration Act 1996, that is the end
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