Published: 16th October 2025 “I am delighted to welcome you to PLP’s 22nd Annual Conference. I would like to extend my particular thanks to our longstanding partners Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer and Blackstone Chambers for their support in putting on this event. I am Jamie Peters, interim CEO for Public Law Project, covering for Shameem Ahmad whilst she is on maternity leave. It is my third week at PLP and I was hoping to be an audience member but I am stepping in for Shameem for today and for this section of the conference – and of course very happy to do so. Paying tribute to Professor Conor Gearty In addition to taking on these duties, I have been asked by Shameem and all at PLP to pay tribute to Professor Conor Gearty. I know that many of you here would have been surprised and very saddened to hear of us untimely passing in September. Conor addressed this conference several times, most recently in 2022 and again, by popular demand, in 2023. He was a giant of the public law and human rights world, and his last article for London Review of Books is reproduced by kind permission, in your delegate packs, by way of a small tribute. It’s a typical example of his forthright and accessible writing about the law and the impact of judicial decision making. We would ask for a minute’s silence but though I was never lucky enough to have worked alongside Conor, I am assured that silence was very much not on Conor’s agenda. Strengthening the Constitution This year’s conference, aptly titled ‘Strengthening the Constitution’, feels both timely and relevant. We need frameworks that are robust and indeed resilient to withstand the pressures of the present – but also the threats of the future. We know that our Constitutional frameworks do not exist in a vacuum, and we cannot ignore the increasing pressures posed by the global rise in authoritarianism. Indeed, the outside world in the UK and in many other areas of the world is growing increasingly volatile and also hostile to what many of us are working towards – principles of inclusion, equality and justice are not principles that much of the current direction of political discourse is making any easier to achieve. We cannot afford, to just batten down the hatches and hope the rule of law withstands the storms. We must use the moment we are in to secure, embed and advance the principles of fairness, accountability and justice – values that we can all coalesce around – to not just protect, but promote and future-proof our Constitution. A “mixed bag” If we were to give a general assessment of the current state of the rule of law in the UK, I’d say that it is a bit of a mixed bag. Some good – but there’s definitely room for improvement. In terms of some of those highlights: We had the Prorogation case and the Rwanda cases, where under immense political pressure the courts ruled against government but grounded those rulings in legally coherent arguments. The judiciary truly acted without fear or favour. The Rwanda case in particular, highlighted the importance of following international law as part of the rule of law. Covid fines levelled at the PM and the Chancellor and the Leader of the Opposition was also under investigation, which demonstrated that concept of equality before the law. The order that was brought after the racist and Islamophobic riots last summer by the police and the judiciary, and Parliamentarians and the Executive supporting them in their endeavors. The introduction of the Hillsborough law which we expect will facilitate increased transparency, honesty and accountability. And we shouldn’t take for granted the emphasis from both the Attorney General and Prime Minister on the importance of the rule of law, acting as a ‘North Star.’ It is right that we celebrate these wins, yet it is pertinent, all the more so given the rise of authoritarianism, that none of us – the Government included, rest on our laurels. At the Labour Party Conference a few weeks ago, Lord Hermer the Attorney General recalled that this time last year he had said “the rule of law is back”. He went on to say: “I meant it and I hope we’ve shown it.” To give credit where it’s due, it would be fair to say we have seen progress under the new Government, but there still remains significant pressures on the rule of law in the UK. This includes under-investment in the justice system and legal aid, hostile rhetoric regarding immigration leading to incoherent policies which have to be adjudicated by the judiciary. We see a concerning increasing trend for judicial independence and the legal sector to be questioned.We cannot ignore the treatment of racialised people, and in particular Black people, by the criminal justice system. We must also be alert to the watering down of our protest rights; the law should be protecting, not encroaching on, our fundamental human rights. We’re also seeing an increased use of automated decision-making, but a lack of transparency to accompany that which makes it difficult for people to test the legality of these decisions – a significant modern day lacuna in the rule of law. If we have no accountability now, it begs the question of what the far right might do with these tools. It is right that we celebrate these wins, yet it is pertinent, all the more so given the rise of authoritarianism, that none of us – the Government included, rest on our laurels. Global context In the global and political context we find ourselves in, there remains much to be done. Today, with an eye to some of those threats on the horizon, we will be focused on how we can strengthen constitutional resilience during such times of global political and economic instability. I’d like to thank our chairs, speakers and panelists for each of today’s sessions and for the insights they will share. Let’s see if, together, we can pool our expertise, energy and also enthusiasm to improve our assessment and confidence in the state of the Rule of Law.”