The Solicitor General, the Rt Hon Michael Ellis QC MP, has initiated contempt of court proceedings against Tim Crosland, an environmental lawyer who leaked the Supreme Court’s decision on Heathrow’s third runway.

On 9 December, in accordance with its usual practice, the Supreme Court circulated its draft judgment on the future of Heathrow Airport to various parties involved in the case including Mr Crosland, an outspoken opponent of Heathrow’s plans. The draft judgment was circulated on a confidential basis and an embargo setting out the need for confidentiality was clearly stated. It was also made clear that breaching the embargo might be treated as a contempt of court.

On 15 December Mr Crosland issued a statement to news wire, Press Association disclosing the Supreme Court’s decision. In his statement, Mr Crosland confirmed that he had deliberately ‘breached the embargo as an act of civil disobedience’.

Following a referral from the Supreme Court, the Solicitor General has instigated contempt of court proceedings against Mr Crosland. In doing so, the Solicitor General acted independently of government and in the public interest.

Commenting on the matter, the Solicitor General the Rt. Hon. Michael Ellis QC MP said:

After careful consideration, I have concluded that in order that the Rule of Law be upheld, contempt of court proceedings should be brought against Tim Crosland. Irrespective of any personal views on any issue there is no excuse for knowingly undermining court processes and proceedings. As proceedings are now underway, it would not be appropriate to comment further.

The case has been referred to the Supreme Court and is now a matter for the Justices of that court.

Note to editors

1. Contempt of court is punishable by up to 2 years in prison, and/or a fine.

New factsheets, made accessible on gov.uk, will bring together key data on the value of trade and investment between the UK and 222 individual markets, using statistics from the Office for National Statistics, HM Revenue & Customs, as well as other international organisations.

They will include details such as the value of exports and imports between countries and the top goods and services that the UK trades with its international partners, including key FTA trade partners. In addition, statistics relating to the levels of Foreign Direct Investment from the UK to other markets and vice versa will also be published.

“This is the first time DIT has brought together statistics to provide a consolidated picture of the level of trade and investment between the UK and more than 220 international partner countries, demonstrating our commitment to openness, transparency, and making it easier to get insights from data.

“These new Official Statistics collate data from domestic and international organisations to give users a valuable source of information that shines a spotlight on the UK’s trade and investment positions around the world.”

The new factsheets will be updated periodically when new data are available and are accessible to the public on gov.uk from today.

Madam Chair,

The All Belarusian People’s Assembly, which opened on 11 February, claims to include representatives of all sectors of Belarusian society, brought together to determine Belarus’ priorities for the next five years and possible amendments to the constitution. In reality, the Assembly is neither inclusive nor representative. The 2,000 delegates have been vetted and handpicked by the authorities. No opposition voices will be allowed to attend or contribute.

Meanwhile, the authorities continue their sustained campaign of repression against all those campaigning for genuine democratic change, and the independent media actors who are reporting these events. Human rights groups now list 246 political prisoners, including all significant opposition leaders. Over 33,000 demonstrators have been detained, false charges of tax evasion or phytosanitary breaches are being brought against civil society organisations and there is no progress on investigating the hundreds of complaints of brutality by the security forces.

The UK is clear that repression, brutality and stage managed assemblies will not resolve the political and human rights crisis in Belarus. This can only be achieved through genuine inclusive dialogue. We call on the Belarusian authorities to implement and adhere to the recommendations in the Moscow Mechanism report as a route to a lasting and peaceful solution to the crisis, one which meets the democratic rights of its people.