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The Lord Chancellor has criticised Labour peer Lord Hain’s decision to name – under the protection of parliamentary privilege – Sir Philip Green as the businessman at the centre of a British #MeToo scandal.

Gauke addressed the issue towards the end of a speech at the Access to Justice Foundation’s 10th anniversary celebration in the Rolls Building in London.
After praising the foundation’s work, Gauke’s speech took an unexpected turn when he told attendees, including the lord chief justice and president of the Supreme Court: ‘You will have seen the coverage of Lord Hain’s decision to make use of parliamentary privilege’.
Gauke stressed the importance of respecting the rule of law and said he had ‘serious concerns’ about using parliamentary privilege when it undermines judges’ rulings. ‘It is particularly hard to justify using parliamentary privilege where the court process is still ongoing,’ Gauke said.
Gauke recognised that there is a ‘legitimate and distinct’ debate to be had about the role of non-disclosure agreements, and said the government will consult on potential regulation.

Commenting on developments, Chris Saltrese said:
“I agree that Hain’s behaviour is disgraceful but the Court of Appeal only has itself to blame. It has bent over backwards for the past 20 years to accommodate abuse allegations and it has now lost authority. It delivers policy – not justice – and so the likes of Hain regard it as fair game.”