Mark Hatcher was Special Adviser to the Chair of the Bar until 2019. After working at the Law Commission and in the House of Lords, he became Head of Global Public Affairs at PwC. He is a Bencher of Middle Temple, as well as being a priest. He is Reader of the Temple.
Mark Hatcher on the General Election, the new Lord Chancellor, members of the Bar elected to the Commons and the first all-Tory meeting of the Cabinet for 18 years
We were seduced into believing there would be a hung Parliament.
Ahead of the General Election, Mark Hatcher takes a look at the main parties’ pledges on justice and considers the impact of a Coalition deal
“There’s no point asking experts… no one knows what’s going to happen… to predict the next general election you may as well play pin the tail on the donkey.”
With Parliament dissolving for the election, Mark Hatcher looks ahead to the manifestos and the importance they place on preserving our system of justice.
The dissolution of the Westminster Parliament on 30 March means that, until a new Parliament is elected on 7 May, there are no MPs for 25 working days.
Mark Hatcher on the Public Accounts Committee and its devastating report into the legal aid reforms.
The veteran Whitehall watcher, Professor Peter Hennessy who now observes the behaviour of mandarins from the cross benches in the House of Lords, once described the Commons Public Accounts Committee (PAC) as “the queen of select committees … [which] … by its very existence exerted a cleansing effect in all government departments”.
With the General Election date fixed four years ago, the attention of all at Westminster is now on May 2015.
Mark Hatcher reports on the parties’ plans.
The Ministry of Justice was subjected to an uncomfortable public grilling on civil legal aid by the Public Accounts Committee, reports Mark Hatcher.
When US Secretary of State Donald Rumsfeld answered a journalist’s question in 2002 about the lack of evidence linking the government of Iraq with the supply of weapons of mass destruction to terrorist groups he replied: “Reports that say that something hasn’t happened are always interesting to me, because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know.
To legislate or not to legislate?
As the year draws to a close, Mark Hatcher reviews events in Parliament
Mark Hatcher examines the recent by-elections and the resulting fall-out for the political parties.
The next general election is barely 200 days away but in the past few weeks, the village of Westminster has been in the grip of by-election fever.
On the eve of the Scottish referendum, Mark Hatcher reflects on politics either side of the border and conference season for all parties.
When Tip O’Neill, the former Speaker of the US House of Representatives, died President Bill Clinton remarked that “he loved politics and government because he saw [they] could make a difference in people’s lives and he loved people most of all.”
The beginning of the legal year offers the opportunity for a renewed commitment to justice and the rule of law both at home and abroad
By Louise Crush of Westgate Wealth Management sets out the key steps to your dream property
A centre of excellence for youth justice, the Youth Justice Legal Centre provides specialist training, an advice line and a membership programme
By Kem Kemal of Henry Dannell
By Ashley Friday of AlphaBiolabs
Providing bespoke mortgage and protection solutions for barristers
Joanna Hardy-Susskind speaks to those walking away from the criminal Bar
From a traumatic formative education to exceptional criminal silk – Laurie-Anne Power KC talks about her path to the Bar, pursuit of equality and speaking out against discrimination (not just during Black History Month)
Yasmin Ilhan explains the Law Commission’s proposals for a quicker, easier and more effective contempt of court regime
Irresponsible use of AI can lead to serious and embarrassing consequences. Sam Thomas briefs barristers on the five key risks and how to avoid them
James Onalaja concludes his two-part opinion series
