header-logo header-logo

07 November 2025 / Sailesh Mehta , Theo Burges
Issue: 8138 / Categories: Features , Criminal , National security , Media , Data protection , Privacy
printer mail-detail

The hydra grows another head

235046
The Afghan leak super-injunction highlights the growing body of national security law spanning ever-increasing areas of practice, write Sailesh Mehta & Theo Burges
  • The increasing volume of national security cases and legal matters involving national security reflects heightened global and domestic concerns.
  • The diverse nature of national security work means a wide range of responsibilities and disciplines are involved, from intelligence and cybersecurity to counterterrorism and enforcement.
  • The evolving national security legal framework is adapting to new threats, technologies and geopolitical shifts.

In July of this year, Mr Justice Chamberlain discharged a super-injunction designed to prevent the reporting of a 2022 leak which put the lives of Afghans who co-operated with the UK in Afghanistan and their families at risk. In August, astoundingly, there was a further data breach in relation to British engagement in Afghanistan. The injunction was primarily granted due to concerns regarding threats to the lives of those connected to the leak, but it also later became clear

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

NLJ Career Profile: Daniel Burbeary, Michelman Robinson

NLJ Career Profile: Daniel Burbeary, Michelman Robinson

Daniel Burbeary, office managing partner of Michelman Robinson, discusses launching in London, the power of the law, and what the kitchen can teach us about litigating

Wedlake Bell—Rebecca Christie

Wedlake Bell—Rebecca Christie

Firm welcomes partner with specialist expertise in family and art law

Birketts—Álvaro Aznar

Birketts—Álvaro Aznar

Dual-qualified partner joins international private client team

NEWS
Cheating in driving tests is surging—and courts are responding firmly. Writing in NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth of De Montfort Law School charts a rise in impersonation and tech-assisted fraud, with 2,844 attempts recorded in a year
As AI-generated ‘deepfake’ images proliferate, the law may already have the tools to respond. In NLJ this week, Jon Belcher of Excello Law argues that such images amount to personal data processing under UK GDPR
In a striking financial remedies ruling, the High Court cut a wife’s award by 40% for coercive and controlling behaviour. Writing in NLJ this week, Chris Bryden and Nicole Wallace of 4 King’s Bench Walk analyse LP v MP [2025] EWFC 473
A €60.9m award to Kylian Mbappé has refocused attention on football’s controversial ‘ethics bonus’ clauses. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Estelle Ivanova of Valloni Attorneys at Law examines how such provisions sit within French labour law
A seemingly dry procedural update may prove potent. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ this week, Stephen Gold explains that new CPR 31.12A—part of the 193rd update—fills a ‘lacuna’ exposed in McLaren Indy v Alpa Racing
back-to-top-scroll