Law Commission recommendations on espionage offences implemented in National Security Act 2023 – Law Commission

Posted July 17th, 2023 in Law Commission, news, official secrets act, spying by tracey

‘On Tuesday 11 July, the Law Commission’s recommendations on espionage became law as the National Security Act secured Royal Assent.’

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Law Commission, 13th July 2023

Source: www.lawcom.gov.uk

Embassy employee convicted of spying for the Russian State – Crown Prosecution Service

‘A security guard at the British Embassy in Berlin has been convicted of spying for Russia.’

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Crown Prosecution Service, 16th February 2023

Source: www.cps.gov.uk

Whistleblowers and journalists ‘at risk of prison’ in secrets law reform – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted May 17th, 2017 in civil servants, media, news, official secrets act, whistleblowers by sally

‘Proposals by the Law Commission to reform the 1989 Official Secrets Act (OSA) could lead to the imprisonment of civil servants and journalists for disclosing information that would be available to anyone asking for it under the Freedom of Information Act, a leading campaigner for freedom of information has said.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 15th May 2017

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Freedom of Information Act document leaks could become criminal – The Guardian

‘Whistleblowers and journalists could be imprisoned for revealing documents that can be obtained through freedom of information requests, campaigners have warned.’

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The Guardian, 14th May 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Official secrets reform gets more time – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted March 10th, 2017 in consultations, news, official secrets act, time limits by sally

‘Interested parties have been given an extra month to comment on proposals for a new law to protect official secrets after an unexpected media furore. Citing a ‘large amount of interest’ the Law Commission said that its deadline for responding to the public consultation on Protection of Official Data had been extended to 3 May.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 9th March 2017

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Whistleblowers keep us safe. We can’t allow them to be silenced – The Guardian

‘With its proposed changes to the Official Secrets Act, the Law Commission would make it all but impossible for government wrongdoing to be exposed.’

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The Guardian, 13th February 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

‘Archaic’ official secrets laws unfit for digital age – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted February 7th, 2017 in internet, Law Commission, news, official secrets act, reports by sally

‘Legislation drafted to stop Edwardian secret agents lurking around dockyards or purloining papers from ambassadors’ desks is still the basis of protecting official data in the Wikileaks era, according to the Law Commission. In a report commissioned by the Cabinet Office on the protection of official data, the law reform body describes the body of law protecting data as ‘irrational, dispersed and lacking in uniformity’.’

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Law Society’s Gazette, 6th February 2017

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Official Secrets Acts reviewed to meet the challenges of the 21st Century – Law Commission

‘The Officials Secret Acts are being independently reviewed to ensure that the law is keeping pace with the challenges of the 21st century.’

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Law Commission, 2nd February 2017

Source: www.lawcom.gov.uk

IPCC takes over investigation into Cyril Smith claim – BBC News

‘The police watchdog has taken charge of an inquiry into the handling of an alleged incident involving Cyril Smith.’

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BBC News, 27th March 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Home secretary: Cyril Smith cover-up claims ‘could lead to prosecutions’ – The Guardian

‘Theresa May has said the claims a police investigation into the late Liberal MP Cyril Smith was scrapped, and corruption blocked other historic police operations into child abuse, were “shocking and could lead to criminal prosecutions”.’

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The Guardian, 17th March 2015

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Cyril Smith child abuse inquiry ‘scrapped after his arrest’ – BBC News

‘An undercover police operation that gathered evidence of child abuse by Cyril Smith and other public figures was scrapped shortly after the MP was arrested, BBC Newsnight has been told.’

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BBC News, 16th March 2015

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Chagossians: Wikileaked cable admissible after all – UK Human Rights Blog

‘Rosalind English has summarised this unsuccessful appeal against the rejection of the Chagossians’ claims by the Divisional Court, and I have posted on this litigation arising out of the removal and subsequent exclusion of the population from the Chagos Archipelago in the British Indian Ocean Territory.’


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UK Human Rights Blog, 26th May 2014

Source: www.ukhumanrightsblog.com

R (on the application of British Sky Broadcasting Limited) (Respondent) v The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis (Appellant) – Supreme Court

Posted March 25th, 2014 in appeals, law reports, media, official secrets act, police, Supreme Court by sally

R (on the application of British Sky Broadcasting Limited) (Respondent) v The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis (Appellant) [2014] UKSC 17 (YouTube)

Supreme Court, 12th March 2014

Source: www.youtube.com/user/UKSupremeCourt

Police chief issues partial apology over Lawrence whistleblower documents – The Guardian

‘A police chief has issued a partial apology over his attempt to force Channel 4 to hand over documents about a whistleblower who revealed how undercover officers infiltrated the campaign to bring the killers of Stephen Lawrence to justice.’

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The Guardian, 14th January 2014

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Police demand details about Stephen Lawrence whistleblower – Daily Telegraph

Posted January 14th, 2014 in crime, media, news, official secrets act, police, whistleblowers by tracey

‘Police have asked for information about Peter Francis, the whistleblower who revealed a raft of claims about a police undercover unit, including that they had spied on relatives of Stephen Lawrence.’

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Daily Telegraph, 14th January 2014

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Police whistleblower denied immunity from prosecution – The Guardian

Posted September 19th, 2013 in immunity, inquiries, news, official secrets act, police, whistleblowers by sally

“A former undercover police officer who blew the whistle on a covert Scotland Yard squad has been denied immunity from prosecution for potential breaches of the Official Secrets Act.”

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The Guardian, 18th September 2013

Source: www.guardian.com

Lord Blair: we need laws to stop ‘principled’ leaking of state secrets – The Guardian

“Tougher laws are needed to prevent members of the public from revealing official secrets, former Metropolitan police commissioner Lord Blair has said.”

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The Guardian, 26th August 2013

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Ex-SAS Officer to sue Metropolitan Police – Daily Telegraph

“A former head of the SAS’s counter-terrorist team is suing the Metropolitan Police claiming he was wrongfully accused of leaking secret intelligence reports to a journalist.”

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Daily Telegraph, 8th December 2012

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Let’s free the Official Secrets Act from its cold war freeze – The Guardian

Posted September 23rd, 2011 in confidentiality, media, news, official secrets act, police by tracey

“The aborted attempt by the Metropolitan police to force the Guardian to disclose confidential sources and other journalistic material raises important issues about press freedom and the way Operation Weeting is being conducted.”

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The Guardian, 22nd September 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Met police to explain legal threat against Guardian to MPs in secret – The Guardian

Posted September 22nd, 2011 in media, news, official secrets act, parliament, police, private hearings by tracey

“The Metropolitan police is to be allowed explain to MPs in private why it threatened to invoke the Officials Secrets Act in an attempt to force the Guardian to hand over notes and reveal sources behind its phone-hacking coverage.”

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The Guardian, 21st September 2011

Source: www.guardian.co.uk