The Undercover Policing Inquiry will begin to hear evidence again today, 21 October 2024, having heard opening statements last week - Oct 2024
“a brilliant and balanced advocate”
“quite simply brilliant; he is incisive, erudite and immensely knowledgeable, with a practical approach to litigation”
“a phenomenal brain … incredibly effective and his capacity for work is just unstinting. He is calm and in control, and inspires complete confidence”
Angus is recognised as one of the leading KCs at the Bar across a range of different fields, with a particular strength in written and oral advocacy. He is recognised as “undoubtedly the leading Special Advocate – the silk of choice in any national security or fair trial issue.”
Angus McCullough KC has extensive experience in matters of public and private law on behalf of individuals, private bodies, Government departments, and other public bodies. He has been appointed to act as amicus curiae (advocate to the court) on many occasions, including in the phone hacking trial of R v Rebekah Brooks et al and committal proceedings against Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (aka Tommy Robinson). He has appeared in the Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court, as well as representing the UK Government at the UN in Geneva and in European Court of Human Rights in proceedings in Strasbourg. He has acted in 10 cases before the House of Lords / Privy Council / Supreme Court.
In 2022-2023 Angus led the team of counsel acting pro bono for UN High Commissioner for Refugees, acing as intervener in the challenge to the Government’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, leading to the Supreme Court decision in November 2023.
He conducts medical claims of the highest value and complexity for both claimants and defendants. He won the Chambers and Partners award for personal injury and clinical negligence barrister of the year 2009, took silk in 2010, and medical law remains a major specialism. Angus is available to act as a mediator or arbitrator in personal injury and clinical negligence disputes, bringing his extensive experience acting for both sides in the field to achieve resolution. He also advises and appears in regulatory and disciplinary matters.
Angus has been instructed as the special advocate in some of the most high profile cases of recent years in the field of national security, and has been active in promoting understanding and debate in relation to closed material procedures.
Notable national security cases include:
- Shamima Begum: Appeal against deprivation of British citizenship, in SIAC, the Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court.
- Saifullah v. Home Secretary (2020-2022): Challenge to the adequacy of investigation into deaths of Afghans in the course of a raid by a UK Army unit in Afghanistan, leading to the Haddon-Cave Inquiry.
- LTTE (‘Tamil Tigers’): Appeal against refusal of deproscription before Prescribed Organisations Appeals Commission; appeal allowed by POAC in October 2020.
- CAAT: Challenge to UK licensing of arms sales to Saudi Arabia; Government’s appeal to the Supreme Court withdrawn in 2020.
- Chagos Islanders Litigation (Bancoult et al): Appointed by the Divisional Court to act as Public Interest Immunity Advocate, 2018
- Abu Qatada: Proceedings in various courts, including the House of Lords, against high profile Islamist preacher
- Zatuliveter: Alleged Russian spy whose appeal against deportation was allowed
- AF (No.3): House of Lords case considering requirements of fairness in control order proceedings
- Al Rawi: Civil claim of Guantanamo detainees against the UK Government
- Pham: Statelessness and deprivation of British citizenship
Contempt of Court is an area of specialist expertise. He has been instructed by the Attorney General in cases of press and juror contempt, including the ‘Facebook juror’ case, and the first contempt proceedings brought against a newspaper for an online publication. He was appointed as amicus in the phone hacking criminal trial of R v Rebekah Brooks and others, to advise the court in relation to reporting restrictions and costs. Angus represented the UK Government in Dallas v UK, in Strasbourg, a case of juror contempt. He was also appointed as amicus in the committal proceedings in the Old Bailey against Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (Tommy Robinson).
Since its launch, he has been an editor of the UK Human Rights blog, which was set up and is maintained by members of 1 Crown Office Row. He also contributes to the Quarterly Medical Law Review (QMLR).
Before turning to law, Angus read Zoology at Oxford. He then worked in Zambia as a safari guide. He maintains his interest in natural history above and below water, and has co-authored various papers on butterflies and hoverflies in the Hebrides and Madeira. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and of the Linnean Society. He was a trustee of Buglife (the invertebrate conservation charity) for 10 years, and remains a trustee of the Barristers’ Benevolent Association.
View full profile »Three Members of Chambers appear in lead claim challenging the Home Secretary’s policy on accommodating asylum-seekers at the former MoD site at Wethersfield - Jul 2024
Angus McCullough KC appears in the High Court this week in a judicial review claim. He acts on behalf of three men who are lead claimants in this challenge arising from the Government’s...
1 COR shortlisted for 11 awards at the Legal 500 Bar Awards 2024 - Jul 2024
We are delighted to announce the following 11 nominations at the Legal 500 Bar Awards 2024: Clinical Negligence Set of the Year Professional Disciplinary Set of the Year Public Law Set of...
Angus McCullough KC appointed by Chief Constable of PSNI to perform an independent review into use of surveillance in Northern Ireland - Jun 2024
Northern Ireland’s Chief Constable Jon Boutcher has issued a statement announcing that Angus McCullough KC, 1 Crown Office Row, will conduct an independent review of any PSNI use of surveillance...
Supreme Court Ruling on Asylum Seekers to Rwanda - Nov 2023
The Supreme Court this week upheld a Court of Appeal ruling, which had found that the government scheme to remove asylum seekers to Rwanda was unlawful. The legal case against the policy hinged on...
Rwanda Appeal heard in the Supreme Court - Oct 2023
This week the challenge to the UK Government’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda was heard in the Supreme Court. After the High Court’s 2022 decision that the Rwanda plan was lawful was...
1 Crown Office Row shortlisted for seven awards at the Chambers UK Bar Awards 2023 - Sep 2023
We are delighted to have been shortlisted for seven awards at the Chambers UK Bar Awards 2023: Clinical Negligence Set of the Year Inquests & Public Inquiries Set of the Year Clinical...
Undercover Policing Inquiry’s Interim Report Published - Jul 2023
The Undercover Policing Inquiry’s Interim Report was published on 29th June. The report focuses on the period from 1968 – 1982 and found that the methods used by the police to gain information...
Court of Appeal overturns ruling on the Government’s Rwanda transfer scheme - Jun 2023
The High Court’s December ruling that the UK Government’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda was lawful has today been overturned by the Court of Appeal. The majority of the Court of Appeal...
Four 1COR members in the Court of Appeal this week - Apr 2023
Four members of 1 Crown Office Row have appeared in the Court of Appeal this week, in three different cases. Lizanne Gumbel KC is appearing in AB v Worcestershire County Council, a complex...
Law Pod UK Ep. 181: The Bill of Rights Bill is Back - Mar 2023
Jim Duffy is joined by Professor Jim Murdoch of the University of Glasgow, Angus McCullough KC from 1 Crown Office Row, and Shameem Ahmad from the Public Law Project, to talk small boats and big...
Judgment on the challenge to the UK’s scheme to transfer asylum-seekers to Rwanda handed down - Dec 2022
An important judgment in the case of AAA and others v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2022] EWHC 3230 (Admin) has been handed down by the Divisional Court. The claim for judicial review...
Wrongful Birth Claims: Theory, Law and Practice Webinar - Oct 2021
Join a stellar line up of speakers for an afternoon discussing wrongful birth claims, including a case law update, costs and more on 21st October 2021 from 2-5pm on Teams. This event is accredited for...
Law Pod UK Ep. 149: Closed Material Procedures with Angus McCullough QC - Sep 2021
Law Pod UK returns after the summer break with Episode 149: a fascinating interview with Special Advocate Angus McCullough QC on Closed Material Proceedings where evidence is so secretive the SAs...
Sutton Trust Pathways to Law Insight Week: Imposter Syndrome - Apr 2021
On 13th April 2021 a group of barristers from 1 Crown Office Row participated in the Sutton Trust Pathways to Law Insight Week. Alice Kuzmenko led the interactive session, appearing with Judith...
Supreme Court rules Shamima Begum will not be allowed to return to the UK - Feb 2021
The Supreme Court has ruled that Shamima Begum is not required by the Home Secretary to be allowed to return to the UK to challenge the decision to remove her British Citizenship. This reverses the...
Supreme Court hears Shamima Begum’s case with Angus McCullough QC acting as Special Advocate - Nov 2020
Over the next two days the Supreme Court will hear the Home Secretary’s appeal against the decision by the Court of Appeal to grant Shamima Begum leave to enter the UK in order to challenge to...
Undercover Policing Inquiry’s hearings begin today - Nov 2020
Today, 2nd November, the Undercover Policing Inquiry starts its hearings with seven days of live-streamed opening statements, followed by seven days of evidence hearings. The full schedule and how the...
Shamima Begum allowed to return to the UK for her SIAC appeal against withdrawal of citizenship - Jul 2020
Judgment has been handed down in Shamima Begum’s high profile challenge to the Home Secretary’s withdrawal of her British Citizenship. The Court of Appeal decided that the only way in which she...
Court of Appeal hears Shamima Begum’s appeal against withdrawal of British Citizenship - Jun 2020
Last week the Court of Appeal heard Shamima Begum’s appeal against rulings of the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) in relation to her challenge to the Home Secretary’s withdrawal of...
Challenge to PM’s decision not to hold an independent inquiry into allegations of UK involvement in rendition and torture - Jun 2020
A judicial review is underway of the Prime Minister’s decision on 18 July 2019 not to hold an independent inquiry into UK complicity in rendition and torture. On 9 June 2020 there was an open...
SIAC hands down judgment in the first stage of Shamima Begum’s appeal over citizenship - Feb 2020
In October 2019, the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) heard the first part of Shamima Begum’s appeal against the decision by the Home Secretary to revoke her British Citizenship. The...
Angus McCullough QC represents young boy who recovered nearly £5m plus annual sums for brain injury at birth - Dec 2019
A boy (who is the subject of an anonymity order) sustained brain damage from oxygen starvation at the time of his birth at a hospital managed by Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust....
Angus McCullough QC and Shaheen Rahman QC have tackled the question: ‘Disclosure in Closed Material Proceedings: What Has to Be Revealed?’ - Nov 2019
In the latest volume of Judicial Review, Angus McCullough QC and Shaheen Rahman QC consider the approach to “disclosure” in closed material proceedings (CMPs). They address the background and...
Angus McCullough QC acts as a Special Advocate for Shamima Begum - Oct 2019
On 22nd October 2019 a four day preliminary hearing at Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) began. SIAC is hearing Shamima Begum’s appeal against the decision by the Home Secretary to...
Judgment handed down in CAAT appeal over the licensing of UK-produced arms and military equipment for sale to Saudi Arabia - Jun 2019
The Court of Appeal has allowed the appeal brought by Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) against the Divisional Court’s dismissal of its judicial review claim against the International Trade...
Six members of chambers participate in Inner Temple outreach events - Apr 2019
Members of 1 Crown Office Row have been volunteering their time to participate in Inner Temple’s Schools Day events. These events, run in collaboration with the Sutton Trust and other organisations,...
Angus McCullough QC appears in Court of Appeal in CAAT appeal over the licensing of UK-produced arms and military equipment for sale to Saudi Arabia - Apr 2019
Angus McCullough QC is acting as lead Special Advocate in this case concerning export licenses for the sale of UK-produced arms and military equipment to Saudi Arabia. The Court of Appeal is...
Angus McCullough QC appointed advocate to the court in Tommy Robinson’s remitted contempt of court proceedings - Oct 2018
Angus McCullough QC was appointed by the Attorney General to act as advocate to the court (a role previously known as ‘amicus curiae’) in the remitted contempt of court proceedings involving...
Court of Appeal grants permission to appeal for a Judicial Review of licensing of UK Arms Exports to Saudi Arabia - May 2018
Angus McCullough QC is acting as Special Advocate in this case concerning export licenses for the sale of UK-produced arms and military equipment to Saudi Arabia. The Campaign Against Arms Trade...
The Times reports on Chambers extremism cases - Jun 2017
Frances Gibb has written in The Times (」) about the number of cases being heard in the Family Division concerning extremism. The piece features quotations from Mr Justice Hayden in A Local Authority...
Martin Downs in new Radicalisation Judgment about protecting older children and vulnerable adults - Apr 2017
Mr Justice Hayden has just handed down a new Judgment concerning safeguarding those at risk of radicalisation: A Local Authority v Y [2017] EWHC 968 (Fam) (27 April 2017). The Judgment focuses on...
Marina Wheeler QC in Public Interest Immunity & Radicalisation case - Apr 2017
Marina Wheeler QC appeared for the Home Secretary in her successful application for public interest immunity in a Radicalisation Case. Mrs Justice Pauffley has just handed down Judgment. The case...
Angus McCullough QC Acts As Special Advocate in Judicial Review of licensing of UK Arms Exports to Saudi Arabia - Feb 2017
A case has been brought by Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) in the High Court, challenging the Government's licensing of arms sales to Saudi Arabia. Exports should not go ahead if there is a...
Angus McCullough QC and Matthew Donmall appear in civil claim arising out of attempted murder in Kyrgyz Republic - Sep 2016
Angus McCullough QC and Matthew Donmall represented Maxim Bakiyev, son of the former President of Kyrgyzstan The personal injury claim brought against Mr Maksim Bakiyev, the son of the former...
Angus McCullough QC qualifies as an arbitrator - Jun 2016
PIcARBS, the Personal Injury claims Arbitration Service, is an arbitration institute that has been set up specifically to resolve personal injury and clinical negligence disputes, using arbitration....
Control order upheld following rehearing - May 2016
Angus McCullough QC and Shaheen Rahman were instructed as Special Advocates for GG in the long running case of Secretary of State for the Home Department v GG [2016] EWHC 1193 (Admin). Collins J held...
Angus McCullough QC in Article 7 European Court of Human Rights case - Feb 2016
ECtHR holds that UK's finding of juror's contempt of Court from internet research was not in breach of Article 7. Angus McCullough QC acted for the UK Government. This case was highly publicised at...
3 members listed in Who’s Who Legal 2016 - Feb 2016
David Hart QC, Angus McCullough QC and Jeremy Hyam have been named in Who's Who Legal 2016, a publication which identifies the foremost legal practitioners in business law based upon comprehensive,...
Seminar – Public Law in an Age of Austerity - May 2015
An evening seminar on Thursday 4 June 2015 presented by One Crown Office Row together with JUSTICE. Designed for private law practitioners and those with a cross-over practice, this evening seminar...
Angus McCullough QC in non delegable duty of care case brought against the Home Office - Apr 2015
A claim has been brought against the Home Office by a woman known as 'GB', who was prescribed an anti-malarial drug whilst in immigration detention at Yarl's Wood. It is alleged that the drug was...
Human Rights Blog reaches final of the UK Blog Awards 2015 - Dec 2014
1 COR's Human Rights Blog has reached the final of the UK Blog Awards 2015 and is now recognised as being one of the best top ten industry Blogs across the UK. Many congratulations to the editors...
Martin Downs and Jacqueline Roach appeared in the case of “E” - Jan 2014
Martin Downs represented the Local Authority and Jacqueline Roach the child before the President of the Family Division in the case of E [2014] EWHC 6. In this case, Sir James Munby, President of...
Angus McCullough QC is acting as Advocate to the Court (‘Amicus’) in the trial of Rebekah Brooks, Andrew Coulson & Others - Dec 2013
Following a request from the trial Judge, Mr Justice Saunders, the Attorney General has appointed Angus McCullough QC to act as independent Advocate to the Court (a role formerly known as 'amicus...
Ten 1COR members and our Chambers Academic have contributed to the 3rd Edition of “Burnett-Hall on Environmental Law” - Feb 2013
David Hart QC, Angus McCullough QC, Owain Thomas, Jeremy Hyam, Suzanne Lambert, Richard Mumford, John Jolliffe, Rachel Marcus, Matthew Donmall, Karwan Eskerie and Rosalind English (our Chambers...
Angus McCullough QC acted as Special Advocate in Abu Qatada’s deportation proceedings - Nov 2012
Angus McCullough QC has been acting as Abu Qatada's special advocate (leading Martin Chamberlain of Brick Court Chambers), having previously appeared in the proceedings before SIAC (Special...
Angus McCullough QC appeared as special advocate in the case of Omar - Jul 2012
Angus McCullough QC appeared as a special advocate in the case of Omar, in which the Court refused Norwich Pharmacal relief in a judgment handed down on 26 June 2012. The claim had been brought by...
Angus McCullough QC is acting as Special Advocate in Abu Qatada’s deportation proceedings - May 2012
Angus McCullough QC is acting as Abu Qatada's special advocate, having previously appeared in the proceedings before SIAC, the Court of Appeal, and the House of Lords. In January this year, the...
Angus McCullough QC giving evidence on the Justice and Security Green Paper to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights - Jan 2012
On Tuesday 31 January 2012 the Joint Committee on Human Rights heard evidence from Angus McCullough QC, appearing with another experienced Special Advocate (Jeremy Johnson QC). They gave evidence...
Angus McCullough QC is acting as special advocate for Abu Qatada in his applications for habeas corpus and bail - Jan 2012
Abu Qatada has applied for bail and challenges the continued legality of his detention in proceedings being heard by Mr Justice Mitting, sitting as Chairman of SIAC and a Judge of the High Court. ...
Angus McCullough QC special advocate for Russian cleared of spying in deportation case - Nov 2011
Angus McCullough QC (leading Ben Watson of 3 Raymond Buildings) acted as Special Advocate for Katia Zatuliveter, 26, the Russian who was formerly employed as a Parliamentary assistant to the MP Mike...
Supreme Court finds against the Home Office on forced marriages - Oct 2011
In an appeal brought by the Home Secretary, Angus McCullough QC and Andrea Lindsay Strugo appeared for the Government, seeking to overturn a decision of the Court of Appeal. The case concerned the...
Angus McCullough QC special advocate for MP’s Russian assistant in deportation case - Oct 2011
Angus McCullough QC is acting as special advocate for Katia Zatuliveter, the Russian parliamentary assistant to the MP Mr Hancock, against whom a deportation order has been made in relation to alleged...
Angus McCullough QC appeared with the Solicitor General in the widely reported Facebook juror contempt case - Jun 2011
Joanne Fraill, a juror in a multi-handed criminal trial contacted an acquitted defendant in that trial while still deliberating on the verdicts on other counts, and had an online discussion through...
Angus McCullough QC and Andrea Lindsay Strugo in first live streamed human rights Supreme Court case - Jun 2011
In an appeal brought by the Home Secretary, Angus McCullough QC and Andrea Lindsay Strugo appeared for the Government, seeking to overturn a decision of the Court of Appeal. The case concerned the...
Our Human Rights Blog shortlisted for JUSTICE Human Rights Award - Nov 2010
We are delighted to announce that the UK Human Rights Blog by 1 Crown Office Row has been shortlisted with two others for the JUSTICE Human Rights Award 2010. The Awards have been held each December...
Angus McCullough QC appeared as Special Advocate for appellant in controversial appeal against deportation of terror suspects - May 2010
Angus McCullough QC, acted as Special Advocate for Ahmad Faraz Khan in his appeal against deportation in the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC). The Home Secretary had sought deportation...
Angus McCullough gives evidence to the parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights on the special advocate system - Feb 2010