Case outcomes - Q1 2023


1	Case	Legal outcomes	Campaigning outcomes

2	2016
3	Can the Prime Minister trigger Article 50?	We won this case, obtaining a declaration that triggering Article 50 required parliamentary approval.	We significantly increased awareness of the primacy of Parliament over the Executive in managing the consequences of a referendum established to advise Parliament.
4
5	2017
6	Can the Article 50 notification be revoked (Take One)?	We discontinued this claim because we were unable to obtain costs protection.
7	Can the Article 50 notification be revoked (Take Two)?	We won this case; the Court ruled that we could revoke the notice we had given under Article 50.	There was greater public awareness of the possibility of revoking Article 50 amongst the public and in Parliament.
8	Should the Electoral Commission investigate Vote Leave's spending?	When we began the challenge to the Electoral Commission's refusal to investigate Vote Leave it reversed its decision and began to investigate. The remainder of the case became largely academic when the Electoral Commission concluded Vote Leave had broken the law. Having won on the remainder in the Divisional Court we lost in the Court of Appeal.	The investigation started in response to the litigation established that Vote Leave had broken electoral law which raised proper questions about the democratic legitimacy of the outcome.
9	Should the Government publish its Brexit studies?	We were in the process of appealing against a refusal of permission when Government released the Brexit studies.	Whilst the litigation was ongoing the Government published summaries of its Brexit studies.
10	Uber has to pay VAT (Take One)	We withdrew this case after we lost an interim application to cap Uber's costs.	GLP's campaign to require Uber to stop dodging VAT succeeded - HMRC assessed it to VAT.
11
12	2018
13	Challenge to the health risks posed by a No Deal Brexit	We were refused permission to bring this claim.	The claim helped highlight the effects of a No-Deal Brexit on access to medicines. And Parliament repeatedly rejected No Deal.
14	Challenging training fee clawbacks	We organised claims against a number of organisations charging "exit fees" when people left after receiving training. Litigation continues and we have succeeded against one Defendant, lost against another, and Capita has discontinued the practice.	The issue was covered on a number of media outlets and the Minister promised to review exit fees. Although their use continues, most blue chip employers have ceased using companies that impose exit fees.
15	Home Office deporting academics	We crowdfunded for litigation but did not need to send a letter before action or issue proceedings because the Home Office reversed its decision.	Following a public campaign we were heavily involved in the Home Office reversing its decision.
16	Monocle magazine paying below minimum wage	After we issued proceedings, Monocle settled with the Claimant in this matter outside of court, paying the entirety of her claim and admitting liability.	The case, and the broader issue of unpaid internships, received extensive media coverage.
17	Post-Brexit EU citizenship (Dutch courts)	The Dutch Court referred to the European Court of Justice the question whether we would retain citizenship rights after Brexit but the Dutch Court of Appeal reversed the decision.
18	Should the Electoral Commission investigate DUP's spending?	We were refused permission to bring this claim while our earlier case relating to Vote Leave was still ongoing.	This donation was investigated by the Electoral Commission and the donors were fined as a result.
19
20	2019
21	The Prime Minister had to request an extension to our departure date from the EU under the Benn Act	The Court declined to determine the case "until it is clear that the obligations under [the Benn Act] have been complied with in full", as our claim requested, and they ultimately were.	In his response to our claim the Prime Minister stated in Court that he would do as the law required and request a Brexit extension (contrary to what he was saying in public). As a result of that request, the "no deal" period was extended. The UK did not ultimately leave the EU until January 2022 and there was no "no deal" Brexit.
22	The Prorogation of Parliament was unlawful	We won this case in the Supreme Court. The Court ruled that the prorogation of parliament was unlawful and thus null and void.	The Inner Court of Session found that the Government had in effect misled the Queen; the Government appealled and a unanimous verdict of the Supreme Court found that the prorogation prevented Parliament carrying out its constitutional duties.
23	Uber has to pay VAT (Take Two)	We were refused permission to bring the case.	GLP's campaign to require Uber to stop dodging VAT succeeded - HMRC assessed it to VAT.
24	Unlawful to create a separate customs territory in Northern Ireland	The Court refused our applications for interim orders and we withdrew the case when Parliament impliedly repealed section 55 of the Taxation (Cross-border Trade) Act 2018.
25
26	2020
27	Airports National Policy Statements aren't compatible with Net Zero targets	We have not yet issued proceedings in this case, following pre-action correspondence.	We received a further holding response in October 2022, after Government promised to consider reviewing the Policy Statement "in early 2022"; we're continuing to press them for a substantial review.
28	A Level results downgraded by algorithms	We did not issue proceedings in this case, as Government U-turned and reversed this policy following our pre-action letter.	Following significant pressure, including our threatened claim, Government entirely discarded the results that Ofqual calculated automatically by algorithms and instead based grades on the ones awarded by teachers.
29	Abingdon Health antibody tests	The Court was against us on the substance and found we did not have sufficient legal interest in DHSC's decisions to bring the claim.	This case uncovered the existence of a "VIP lane" within the Test and Trace system and highlighted the use, and vulnerability of private communications channels by Ministers.
30	Challenging Government's "Operation Moonshot" program	After we applied for an oral hearing on permission, following refusal on the papers, Government abandoned the £100bn Moonshot program.
31	Free School Meals over summer holidays 2020	We did not issue proceedings because Government abandoned its policy while we were engaged in pre-action correspondence.	Our campaign, and litigation, had some impact but credit is primarily due to Marcus Rashford.
32	Government's Energy National Policy statements fail Net Zero targets	We issued proceedings when Government refused to confirm it would review its National Policy Statement on Energy Infrastructure. Government later confirmed it would review the policy - and subsequently changed it.
33	Government failing to publish PPE contracts	We won this case in Court.	The Judge specifically noted that Government admitted their breaches of the law "as a result of this litigation and at a late stage of it". The case attracted widespread attention and precipitated calls for Matt Hancock to resign.
34	Government's preferential treatment for Hanbury	We have been granted permission to bring this claim, which is set to continue following the conclusion of our Public First claim.
35	Government's preferential treatment for Public First, a communications agency linked to Michael Gove and Dominic Cummings	We were refused permission to appeal this case to the Supreme Court.	We generated considerable media focus on the award of contracts without any procurement process to friends of Michael Gove and Dominic Cummings.
36	Online education; no resources for disadvantaged children	We did not need to issue proceedings in this case as Government changed course following our pre-action letter.	Government introduced a programme providing support to disadvantaged and vulnerable students, including £85m of funding for laptop purchases.
37	Public inquiry into Covid response	We were refused permission 'on the papers' to bring this claim because the Prime Minister had committed to hold a public inquiry. When the date was firmed up we discontinued our claim.	Government committed to holding a public inquiry in the Spring of 2022.
38	Removal of State Aid rules by executive fiat after Brexit	We withdrew our claim in this case before permission was considered.	After we issued our claim, Government stated that it would change the State Aid regime by properly bringing legislation before Parliament for scrutiny.
39	Recognise air pollution as a potential hazard Government must protect against	We were refused permission to bring this claim.	The Judge agreed there could be "arguments of substance" as to a freestanding precautionary principle.
40	Unlawful appointments of Dido Harding and Mike Coupe	The claim brought by the Runnymede Trust, funded by us, which ran alongside and was identical to ours, succeeded on the grounds that neither the Minister or the Prime Minister carried out their public sector equality duties before appointing Dido Harding or Mike Coupe. Not all grounds of the claim succeeded.	Together we established that the Public Sector Equality Duty should have been taken into account in the appointments and drew widespread attention to the unlawful process around the appointments of Harding and Coupe.
41	VIP lane PPE: Ayanda	The Court found that the VIP lane, through which Ayanda won its contract, was illegal.	We drew wide attention to the institutionalisation of cronyism in the VIP lane.
42	VIP lane PPE: Clandeboye	The Court dismissed all our claims relating to Clandeboye.	We drew wide attention to the institutionalisation of cronyism in the VIP lane.
43	VIP lane PPE: Pestfix	The Court found that the VIP lane, through which Pestfix won its contracts, was illegal.	We drew wide attention to the institutionalisation of cronyism in the VIP lane.
44	VIP lane PPE: Saiger	Although permission was granted in Saiger - a now-familiar story of profiteering, secrecy and waste - more recent courts have shown a reluctance to look at pandemic procurement. In the circumstances, we have decided that it is not a good use of money to proceed with this claim. We withdrew it in June 2022.	We drew wide attention to the institutionalisation of cronyism in the VIP lane.
45
46	2021
47	Children in care sent outside home areas	We were refused permission to bring this claim.	We attracted some national media attention to the fact of looked after children being 'dumped' a long way from their support networks in cheaper parts of the country. Since we started the claim, Surrey Council has invested £37 million in new in-area residential accommodation.
48	Delays in providing healthcare to trans people	Our claim in the High Court has been refused; we have been granted permission to appeal this judgment and are fundraising so we can pursue this further.	We generated media coverage both in the national press and specialised LGBTQ+ publications that raised awareness of the long waiting times that trans people have in accessing treatment. Through the case we successfully challenged the NHS's position that young trans people do not have the protected characteristic of gender reassignment, resulting in them now having extra protection before the law.
49	Failings in the Dylan Lee inquest	We funded representation for Dylan Lee's mother in an inquest into his suicide following racist bullying. However, we were refused permission to challenge the breadth of that inquiry.	We attracted some national media attention to the racist treatment of Gypsy Romani and Traveller children.
50	Blackmailing constituency MPs	We did not issue proceedings in this case, following pre-action correspondence. We do not have sufficient evidence connecting the threats and the removal of spending.	Government did not deny that threats were made but undertook they would not recur.
51	Immensa - failures of mass false negative Covid tests	This case is currently awaiting a permission decision.
52	Levelling Up Fund cash distributed in Conservative seats	We were granted permission to bring this claim but withdrew it following legal advice that on the basis of the disclosure given by Government we were unlikely to succeed.	Our claim helped generate considerable publicity for 'pork-barrel' politics of the Government.
53	Ministers using private emails for Govt business	Our appeal was refused in the Court of Appeal, and we were refused permission to appeal to the Supreme Court.	We generated widespread awareness of the improper use to conduct Government business of private communications channels.
54	The use of public money for party political advertising	We did not issue proceedings. Government provided its policies in correspondence; Good Law Project stated that "we no longer believe we can succeed in addressing [this issue] with litigation".
55	Review decision to allow LGB Alliance charity status	We provided funding to this case but are not the Claimants. The hearing of this case concluded on the 7th and 8th of November. We are now awaiting a ruling.
56	School absence policies for Covid vulnerable families	After pre-action correspondence with the Minister, he revised the policy to make it clear that schools should show proper flexibility towards clinically vulnerable families.
57	Scrutinising the appointment of Charity Commission chair	We discontinued proceedings when Government withdrew the appointment of Martin Thomas following revelations about his past conduct we had uncovered.	We generated considerable attention for the Government's attempt to politicise the Charity Commission and appoint a plainly unsuitable candidate as its Chair.
58	NGOs intervening in Bell/Tavistock appeal (which stopped puberty blocker prescriptions)	The intervention we organised was allowed and the appeal against the original Bell decision succeeded.	Bell's legal team announced they had been refused permission to appeal this to the Supreme Court.
59	Transfer Windrush Compensation Scheme to an independent organisation	We did not issue proceedings in this case, for which we did not crowdfund.
60	In cases where a child can't consent to puberty blockers, this power should be given to parents, not the Courts	The Claimants in this case won in Court. Our Legal Defence Fund for Transgender Lives funded the Claimants in this case.	This case has clarified the legal position but very considerable barriers remain to trans children accessing healthcare which we are challenging in other litigation.
61	VIP lane PPE: Bunzl	We have been granted permission to bring this claim, which is currently awaiting a hearing.
62	VIP lane PPE: Pharmaceuticals Direct Limited	This case was dismissed following a procedural error by external solicitors. That decision was upheld in the Court of Appeal. A further appeal will be heard in the Supreme Court on 12th October 2023.
63	Water companies dumping sewage in rivers	We intervened in the Court of Appeal to support the Claimants, Manchester Ship Canal Company, who were unsuccessful in the Court of Appeal. We supported an intervention by the Environmental Law Foundation in MSCC's appeal at the Supreme Court, which was heard in March; we are now awaiting the judgment.	We built momentum behind the issue and engaged thousands of supporters. We have continued to expand our work in this area with other litigation.
64
65	2022
66	Government's Net Zero strategy won't let us reach Net Zero	Our legal challenge was successful. The Court ruled that the Government's Net Zero proposals and report did not meet their statutory targets. The Government was ordered by the Court to revise and improve their Net Zero proposals by March 31st 2023.	We campaigned alongside Friends of the Earth and Client Earth to deliver a rare, practical and tangible win for the climate.
67	Met Police failing to investigate No 10 parties	After the Met Police agreed to reverse their original decision not to investigate the PM we withdrew our judicial review.	The Prime Minister was fined after the Met concluded he had committed a criminal offence.
68	Met Police should explain why they didn't fine Boris Johnson	After our above claim, the Met didn't fully investigate Boris Johnson's attendance at events where other attendees were fined, and we applied to judicially review that decision. The High Court refused to grant us permission to bring the claim.	We generated widespread awareness through our social media, supporter communications and national media coverage around Boris Johnson's attendance at events and failure by the Met to investigate.
69	E2BN's £70bn framework agreement with Place Group	After we issued our challenge, E2BN withdrew the framework agreement and have agreed to pay our costs.	We generated national attention about abuses of framework agreements to avoid transparency.
70	Met Police promoting officer who harassed Kristina O'Connor	We have been granted permission to bring this claim, and the hearing is taking place on 16th and 17th May.
71	Thurrock Council's "secretive" investments	We have engaged in legal correspondence with the Council and, given campaigning developments, we do not plan to take litigation forward.	Building on the work of The Bureau of Investigative Journalism we added to the national attention and pressure on the council. An investigation has since been launched by central Government into the scandal and the council leader has resigned.
72	Ofgem must protect vulnerable people from fuel poverty	After Government imposed a price cap, we agreed to discontinue the claim we had issued, with both sides paying their own legal costs.	Reporting indicates that Ofgem is now considering implementing a social tariff to protect vulnerable customers, as our claim requested.
73	Defamation defence for Nina Cresswell	We supported Nina Cresswell in her successful defence against a libel claim by the man who sexually assaulted her. In addition to finding that that her account was true, the court held for the first time that women publishing their account can rely on the defence that their publication was about a matter of public interest to defend themselves against a libel claim.	Not only was Nina able to successfully defend herself, but women and sexual abuse victims everywhere will be empowered to speak out against their abusers in order to protect others. The campaign attracted widespread media attention from across the political spectrum which will further encourage and empower survivors to come forward. The Police's case against the man who attacked her is also being reopened.
74	Public money spent on Johnson's Privileges committee advice	We engaged in correspondence and issued, protectively, but the response from Government is such that we do not consider a challenge could succeed and so we are taking no further steps.
75	Stop Surrey Hills gas drilling	We're supporting and fundraising for a claim brought by local community group Project Dunsfold. They've been given permission to bring their challenge following a review in court and the claim will now proceed to a full hearing on 8th June 2023.	We generated significant local media coverage and attracted local public support for this issue, leading to a higher awareness of exploratory drilling in this area.
76	Stop selling off public space: Shropshire Greenfields	We supported and fundraised for an appeal brought by the local Greenfields Community Group. Their appeal in the Supreme Court was successful, and the court removed planning permission previously granted to a property developer.	We generated local and national media attention to the practice by local authories of selling off green spaces. The Supreme Court win will set a new precedent in how local authorities manage and sell publicly-owned green spaces.
77	River Wye	We are supporting and fundraising for a local campaigner with their appeal to the Supreme Court over a planned farming development.
78	Protect against sewage discharges: Clean Waters	We convened and are funding claimants - Marine Conservation Society, Richard Haward’s Oysters and surfer and activist Hugo Tagholm - who are challenging DEFRA's inadequate policies against sewage dumping. Their judicial review has been granted permission and has been listed for a hearing from 4th-6th July 2023.	We have generated significant news coverage on this topic and have contributed to wider public discussions around the impact of sewage discharge. This topic has become more politically salient and has had wider public attention since we started our campaigning work in this space.
79	Dark money: Restore Trust	We compelled Restore Trust to reveal who is behind it and remedy its breaches of citizen's data rights. Restore Trust settled the claim and paid costs.	We were successful in exposing who is behind Restore Trust and the connections that they have to other dark money organisations.
80
81	2023
82	Trans healthcare delays: Alice Litman's inquest	We are funding the inquest of Alice Litman, a young trans woman who died by suicide while waiting for gender affirming care from the NHS. We think issues with Alice's care should be taken into account when the coroner assesses the cause of her death at the inquest on 18th-20th September 2023.
83	Dark money: New Culture Forum	New Culture Forum's website wasn't fully transparent about how they used and transferred the data they collected. After we wrote to them with a pre-action letter, they changed their policies to bring them in line with legal requirements.
84	Government failing to publish "Ventilator Challenge" contracts	We sent a pre-action letter to the Government, seeking to compel it to publish contracts for pandemic ventilator procurement. Faced with the threat of legal action, the Government published the missing contracts in full.	We have raised the issue to the wider public that government is still not complying with its own Transparency Policy and proactively publishing pandemic contracts.
85	UASC - wardship	We are supporting children's charity Article 39 to take a novel Family Court case, arguing that 76 missing unaccompanied asylum seeking children should be made "wards of court", and appointed Children's Guardians to assist in locating them and safeguarding them once they're found. The case has been heard in Court and we're now waiting for a judgment.
86	UASC - hotels JR	We're supporting Article 39 to bring a case arguing that the Home Office's practice of housing vulnerable unaccompanied asylum seeking children in hotels is unlawful and against their best interests. We are taking legal advice on our next steps, following pre-action correspondence with the Government.
87	Climate change protesters - Amy and Giovanna	We're supporting Amy and Giovanna, climate change and fuel poverty protesters, as they appeal against a finding of contempt of court, after they addressed the jury about the reasons why they took part in the protest.
88
89	NOTE THAT THIS TABLE IS CORRECT UP TO THE END OF APRIL 2023 AND WE WILL UPDATE QUARTERLY
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91	Legal outcome	Number	Percentage of can say
92	Win	23	46.94%
93	Mixed	9	18.37%
94	Loss	17	34.69%
95	Total where we can say	49	100.00%
96	Can't say including because presently unresolved	22	n/a
97	Total inc. n/a	71	n/a
98
99	Campaigning outcome	Number	Percentage of total
100	Win	33	46.48%
101	Mixed	14	19.72%
102	Can't say	3	4.23%
103	Nothing further	21	29.58%
104	Total	71	100.00%