Paul F Scott
@paulfscott.bsky.social
Constitutional law and national security law etc at the University of Glasgow
The Representation of the People Bill: publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbi...
publications.parliament.uk
February 12, 2026 at 3:11 PM
The Representation of the People Bill: publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbi...
The Govt's response to the JCNSS on the collapse OSA prosecutions: committees.parliament.uk/publications...
February 12, 2026 at 7:19 AM
The Govt's response to the JCNSS on the collapse OSA prosecutions: committees.parliament.uk/publications...
February 12, 2026 at 7:14 AM
Reposted by Paul F Scott
The latest report on the use of closed material procedure under the JSA 2013: assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/698b0a... Contains more detail about the cases than previous reports.
February 10, 2026 at 11:02 AM
The latest report on the use of closed material procedure under the JSA 2013: assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/698b0a... Contains more detail about the cases than previous reports.
Reposted by Paul F Scott
'Jesse Nicholls represented al-Libi at the hearing ... describing it as ‘unprecedented’ and ‘extraordinary’, and expressing the conclusion that the targeted barrister had been singled out in order to gain a litigation advantage for the Defendants ... in al-Libi’s claim against the UK Government.'
A hearing has been held to consider allegations that GLD staff unlawfully entered the office of a Special Advocate representing the interests of Abu Faraj al‑Lib in his claim against MI5, MI6 and others. Jesse Nicholls is instructed by Bhatt Murphy.
ow.ly/uNuz50Ycbke
ow.ly/uNuz50Ycbke
February 10, 2026 at 12:22 PM
'Jesse Nicholls represented al-Libi at the hearing ... describing it as ‘unprecedented’ and ‘extraordinary’, and expressing the conclusion that the targeted barrister had been singled out in order to gain a litigation advantage for the Defendants ... in al-Libi’s claim against the UK Government.'
'the DV process is, bluntly, limited, flawed, untransparent, incompetent, inadequate and crying out for reform.'
A fair amount of nonsense has been written and said about the "security vetting" process for Mandelson's appointment. I wrote about what "Developed Vetting" really involves and why it's perfectly possible that it found nothing useful about Mandelson.
arthursnell.substack.com/p/the-vettin...
arthursnell.substack.com/p/the-vettin...
The Vetting Myth
Understanding the realities of Mandelson's pre-appointment checks
arthursnell.substack.com
February 10, 2026 at 1:37 PM
'the DV process is, bluntly, limited, flawed, untransparent, incompetent, inadequate and crying out for reform.'
'Jesse Nicholls represented al-Libi at the hearing ... describing it as ‘unprecedented’ and ‘extraordinary’, and expressing the conclusion that the targeted barrister had been singled out in order to gain a litigation advantage for the Defendants ... in al-Libi’s claim against the UK Government.'
A hearing has been held to consider allegations that GLD staff unlawfully entered the office of a Special Advocate representing the interests of Abu Faraj al‑Lib in his claim against MI5, MI6 and others. Jesse Nicholls is instructed by Bhatt Murphy.
ow.ly/uNuz50Ycbke
ow.ly/uNuz50Ycbke
February 10, 2026 at 12:22 PM
'Jesse Nicholls represented al-Libi at the hearing ... describing it as ‘unprecedented’ and ‘extraordinary’, and expressing the conclusion that the targeted barrister had been singled out in order to gain a litigation advantage for the Defendants ... in al-Libi’s claim against the UK Government.'
The latest report on the use of closed material procedure under the JSA 2013: assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/698b0a... Contains more detail about the cases than previous reports.
February 10, 2026 at 11:02 AM
The latest report on the use of closed material procedure under the JSA 2013: assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/698b0a... Contains more detail about the cases than previous reports.
The NIAC: committees.parliament.uk/publications...
February 9, 2026 at 6:56 AM
The NIAC: committees.parliament.uk/publications...
'...while I did not oversee the due diligence and vetting process, I believe that process must now be fundamentally overhauled.' www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...
Morgan McSweeney says he takes ‘full responsibility’ for advising Starmer to appoint Mandelson as he resigns as chief of staff – UK politics live
The PM’s chief of staff, who masterminded landslide 2024 election win, departs No 10 after Mandelson revelations
www.theguardian.com
February 8, 2026 at 2:52 PM
'...while I did not oversee the due diligence and vetting process, I believe that process must now be fundamentally overhauled.' www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...
'The impact assessment put it in stark terms: “In a time of trade wars or conflict, reliance on foreign (potentially adversarial) suppliers is a strategic liability.”'
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
‘We need to accept the cost’: future of British Steel unclear as bills for government build up
Propping up operations at Scunthorpe site, still legally owned by Jingye, now costs over £1.2m a day – so what are the options?
www.theguardian.com
February 8, 2026 at 12:21 PM
'The impact assessment put it in stark terms: “In a time of trade wars or conflict, reliance on foreign (potentially adversarial) suppliers is a strategic liability.”'
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
www.theguardian.com/business/202...
February 8, 2026 at 11:30 AM
February 7, 2026 at 9:46 AM
'In written submissions, al-Libi's barristers said the government had "proceeded to enter her chambers despite having been refused permission, enter her safe in her absence, and remove the very working material over which consent had been expressly refused, in both electronic and paper form".'
Guantanamo detainee's lawyers claim office raid by UK was unlawful
Guantanamo detainee's lawyers claim office raid by UK was unlawful
The case centres on claims of complicity by UK intelligence services in CIA torture of Abu Faraj al-Libi.
www.bbc.com
February 6, 2026 at 7:13 PM
'In written submissions, al-Libi's barristers said the government had "proceeded to enter her chambers despite having been refused permission, enter her safe in her absence, and remove the very working material over which consent had been expressly refused, in both electronic and paper form".'
You could do some interesting comparing (and contrasting) with the treatment of the Caribbean OTs: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
February 5, 2026 at 6:48 PM
You could do some interesting comparing (and contrasting) with the treatment of the Caribbean OTs: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
The UK Govt's response to the Business and Trade Sub-Committee inquiry on economic security: committees.parliament.uk/publications...
February 5, 2026 at 10:26 AM
The UK Govt's response to the Business and Trade Sub-Committee inquiry on economic security: committees.parliament.uk/publications...
Reposted by Paul F Scott
Mike Gordon: The Mandelson Scandal and the Prime Minister: Investigating a Breach of the Ministerial Code ukconstitutionallaw.org/2026/02/05/m...
Mike Gordon: The Mandelson Scandal and the Prime Minister: Investigating a Breach of the Ministerial Code
The scandal erupting in relation to the latest revelations about Peter Mandelson’s relationship with the multi-millionaire convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who died in prison awa…
ukconstitutionallaw.org
February 5, 2026 at 9:00 AM
Mike Gordon: The Mandelson Scandal and the Prime Minister: Investigating a Breach of the Ministerial Code ukconstitutionallaw.org/2026/02/05/m...
'In a letter to Schofield published on Wednesday, Abrahams said: “Given the previous assertions by DWP that it would fix carer’s allowance overpayments, I’m sure you can understand my scepticism about your most recent commitments.”' www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
DWP chief accused of overseeing ‘culture of complacency’ that led to carer’s allowance scandal
Commons committee chair says DWP repeatedly failed to prioritise the vulnerable and was slow to fix errors
www.theguardian.com
February 4, 2026 at 7:58 PM
'In a letter to Schofield published on Wednesday, Abrahams said: “Given the previous assertions by DWP that it would fix carer’s allowance overpayments, I’m sure you can understand my scepticism about your most recent commitments.”' www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
'The Liverpool Law School seeks to appoint up to eight [!] permanent academic positions at Lecturer level.' www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DQJ481/l...
Lecturers in Law at University of Liverpool
Apply now for the Lecturers in Law role on jobs.ac.uk - the leading job board for higher education jobs. View details.
www.jobs.ac.uk
February 4, 2026 at 6:36 PM
'The Liverpool Law School seeks to appoint up to eight [!] permanent academic positions at Lecturer level.' www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DQJ481/l...
'A UK minister will attend, the Foreign Office said, adding: “UK economic security goes hand in hand with national security..."' www.theguardian.com/business/202...
US, UK, EU, Australia and more to meet to discuss critical minerals alliance
About 20 countries including G7 states in talks on rare earths including calls for US to guarantee minimum price
www.theguardian.com
February 1, 2026 at 6:02 PM
'A UK minister will attend, the Foreign Office said, adding: “UK economic security goes hand in hand with national security..."' www.theguardian.com/business/202...
'Unfortunately for Ming Yang, critical infrastructure now embodies this battle in ways not seen during the Huawei controversy.' www.fdiintelligence.com/content/919f...
UK lawmakers fear Ming Yang could be next Huawei moment
MPs see similar risks between £1.5bn Chinese offshore wind project and banned 5G provider
www.fdiintelligence.com
February 1, 2026 at 5:23 PM
'Unfortunately for Ming Yang, critical infrastructure now embodies this battle in ways not seen during the Huawei controversy.' www.fdiintelligence.com/content/919f...
One for the Rycroft review to consider: www.thetimes.com/article/660a...
Churchwarden linked to foreign-born billionaire is behind £200k Reform gift
The man whose firm made the donations will not discuss where the money came from, nor his ties to wealthy Farage allies who may not hold citizenship
www.thetimes.com
February 1, 2026 at 9:37 AM
One for the Rycroft review to consider: www.thetimes.com/article/660a...
'British officials say that “we have seen nothing” from the American side so far since Trump’s outburst to suggest that the UK is under pressure to change course on the issue. London is hopeful that the US administration will give a firmer indication of its thinking in the coming days.'
Talks with US over Chagos Islands deal have reopened, confirms Keir Starmer
London raises subject with Washington after stinging criticism from Trump
www.ft.com
January 28, 2026 at 8:41 PM
'British officials say that “we have seen nothing” from the American side so far since Trump’s outburst to suggest that the UK is under pressure to change course on the issue. London is hopeful that the US administration will give a firmer indication of its thinking in the coming days.'
Reposted by Paul F Scott
'One of the people said one proposal that had been floated was to place in the enhanced tier both China’s Ministry of State Security and the Chinese Communist Party’s United Front Work Department.' www.ft.com/content/9bfe...
January 27, 2026 at 7:57 AM
'One of the people said one proposal that had been floated was to place in the enhanced tier both China’s Ministry of State Security and the Chinese Communist Party’s United Front Work Department.' www.ft.com/content/9bfe...