Matthew Hill

Public Law

Matthew has acted in a wide range of public law cases, including those involving medical law, inquiries and inquests, national security, information rights and human rights.

He represented the Security Service in the Investigatory Powers Tribunal in respect of the civil claims arising from the Manchester Arena bombings (led by Neil Sheldon KC). He has recently appeared in the Court of Appeal for the Secretary of State in joined appeals concerning the revocation of Tier 2 sponsors licences held by care homes (led by David Manknell KC). He is representing the families of the victims of the Reading Terror attacks in Human Rights Act 1998 claims brought against various state agencies (led by Peter Skelton KC).

He appeared in the Court of Protection on behalf of the Home Secretary in a case concerning the best interests of Sergei and Yulia Skripal following their poisoning by the nerve agent Novichok (led by Sir James Eadie KC). He was instructed in the High Court and Court of Appeal judicial review proceedings arising out of the Birmingham Inquests (1974), which concern the scope of inquests and the interrelationship of coronial and criminal proceedings (led by Peter Skelton KC).

Matthew has developed experience in matters concerning PII, including applications in the Family Court. He is the co-author of the chapter concerning anonymity, PII and protective measures in the  Inquests Book: the Law of Coroners and Inquests (Hart Publishing, 2016), the second edition of which will be published in 2025.

Matthew has also been instructed on matters ranging from freedom of information requests concerning the allowances paid to former Prime Ministers, to the procedural fairness of the policies of the General Medical Council in charging disciplinary cases.

Selected Cases

• Various Claimants v Security Service and ors [2024] UKIPTrib 6: Judgment on limitation in HRA 1998 claims arising from the Manchester Arena bombings. Matthew represented the Security Service and other Respondents (led by Neil Sheldon KC).
• R (Prestwick Care Ltd and ors) v SSHD (CA-2023-002296) and R (Supporting Care Ltd) v SSHD  (CA-2024-000284) (judgment awaited): Joined appeals concerning the revocation of Tier 2 sponsors licences from care home providers. Matthew represented the Secretary of State (led by David Manknell KC).
• Gibbons v Information Commissioner and Cabinet Office (FT/EA/2024/0434) (ongoing): Matthew represents the Cabinet Office in an information rights case concerning the papers of the Ministerial Committee on Animal Rights Extremism.
• Cabinet Office v Information Commissioner (FT/EA/2024/0314): Matthew represented the Cabinet Office in a case concerning the Public Duty Costs Allowance available to former Prime Ministers.
• Inquest into the Death of Archie Battersbee (2022): Matthew represented the Secretary of State for the Department of Health and Social Care, making submissions on whether the inquest should consider the intervention of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities during the circumstances preceding Archie’s death.
• Elgizouli v Secretary of State for the Home Department UKSC (2019): on appeal from [2019] EWHC 60 (Admin): Case concerning former British citizens who travelled to Syria and are accused of involvement in terrorism and murder.
• KV (Sri Lanka) v SSHD [2019] UKSC 10: Matthew represented the Secretary of State in in the Supreme Court in a case concerning the correct approach to the assessment of medical evidence in asylum claims (led by Neil Sheldon KC).
• SSHD v Sergei and Yulia Skripal and anr [2018] EWCOP 6: Successful application for an order allowing the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to obtain blood samples from two unconscious victims of poisoning by the nerve agent Novichok. (Law Pod UK, ep. 124)
• R (Hambleton and others) v The Coroner for the Birmingham Inquests (1974) [2018] EWHC 56 (Admin): High Court and Court of Appeal proceedings concerning the scope of the renewed inquests into the Birmingham pub bombings, and the question of whether they should seek to identify the perpetrators of the bombings.
• Kamoka and others v The Security Service and others: Litigation concerning allegations of UK collusion and involvement in rendition and mistreatment of claimants overseas.
• GW v (1) The Information Commissioner, (2) The Cabinet Office [2017] UKUT 312 (AAC): Matthew represented the Cabinet Office in a case concerning a freedom of information request for details of the Public Duty Cost Allowance paid to former Prime Ministers.
• X, Y and Z v United Kingdom (Application no. 32666/10): Application to the European Court of Human Rights, alleging violations of articles 3, 6, 8 and 13 in respect of a local authority’s failure to re-house a family that was subsequently subjected to violence and abuse in their home.
• CM v General Medical Council: Judicial review proceedings that led to the first successful challenge of the GMC’s ‘pilot scheme’ for charging Fitness to Practise allegations.