Westminster Watch

The Secret Barrister has to dig deep to find the few scraps marked ‘justice’ but unearths four things we can learn from the parties’ pledges

General election manifesto launches often cast the criminal justice system in the role of the naughty child of Christmas lore. 

As the snap general election is announced, the Ministry of Justice turns 10 and faces similar challenges to those in the dying days of the Blair government, writes Mark Hatcher

On 9 May the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) will celebrate its 10th anniversary. 

With the triggering of Art 50 imminent, Mark Hatcher examines preparations in Westminster and Whitehall, with a white paper providing some comfort to the Bar

Tucked away behind the Old Treasury Building at No 9 Downing Street is the Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU). 

In this ‘post-truth’ age, Mark Hatcher looks back at the seismic events of 2016 and what will dominate Westminster politics in 2017 – is change in the air? 

2016 will be remembered for two seismic events which have rocked the political classes on both sides of the Atlantic: the decision of the UK to withdraw from the EU and the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States. 

The online support portal for barristers’ wellbeing and mental health has gone live

A new portal giving barristers, clerks and chambers staff access to guidance, tips, support and contacts for help on all matters concerning wellbeing was launched on 15 October at the Annual Bar Conference.