Natasha Barnes, led by James Eadie QC, David Perry QC, and Victoria Wakefield QC was part of the team representing the Government in this challenge to MI5’s policy authorising agents to engage in criminal activity. The existence of the policy became known in 2018 and Human Rights campaigners Reprieve, Privacy International, the Pat Finucane Centre and the Committee on the Administration of Justice sought to make public the limits of that policy as well as challenging its underlying lawfulness.

On 20th December 2019, the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) handed down its judgment holding that, on a proper interpretation of the Security Service Act 1989, the UK Security Service’s policy on agent participation in criminality was lawful and did not contravene the ECHR.

Original news item here and featured in the media below: