Starmer’s Lawyer Chums Waging Lawfare Against Leasehold Reforms
Guido has been reporting for some time on the concerted efforts of the pro-leasehold blob to lobby against Labour’s promised leasehold reforms. Which have received a go-slow…
As lawfare creeps further into the UK political landscape some faces familiar to the PM have entered the leasehold ring. Last week the High Court allowed a judicial review from John Lyon’s Charity to go ahead against the Leasehold and Freehold Act 2024 – Gove’s reforms which Labour in the King’s Speech promised to “quickly” commence. The JR seeks to weaponise the ECHR to declare leasehold reform incompatible with the right to property under the Human Rights Act. The two lawyers leading the efforts are close friends of Keir…
Edward Fitzgerald KC is one of them and is a founding head of Doughty Street Chambers. Starmer’s old chambers…
Starmer has even written a book with Fitzgerald and the lawyer was photographed clapping the PM into Downing Street on the day he was elected. Tom Baldwin’s hagiography of Starmer describes Edward as “the leading counsel in many of Starmer’s early cases and therefore… an expert character witness.” Reports even suggested Fitzgerald could be Attorney General. In the end another of Starmer’s legal chums (who has also acted with Fitzgerald) was picked…
Human rights solicitor Mark Stephens is also acting against the reforms. He and Starmer have acted together on numerous cases including the famous McLibel – Stephens is always available to hacks for a fawning quote about the PM. Stephens even campaigned for Starmer during the Labour leadership election. Just like Philippe Sands…
Patrick Maguire writes in the Times today that the “PM values his friends outside politics more than anything Westminster has to offer.” They are mostly made up of this set of lawyers…
When asked about leasehold delays by the BBC recently Starmer shot back that it’s “a complicated bit of law” and “there is no snap answer.” Rest assured it is the rule of lawyers now…
