A prominent barrister who came under criticism for social media posts about the Southport knife attack has retired from his chambers.
Commercial chancery barrister Steven Barrett, who writes for The Spectator, stepped down from Radcliffe Chambers with immediate effect last week.
A joint statement from Radcliffe Chambers and Barrett said: ‘We can confirm that on Friday [9] August Steven Barrett voluntarily gave notice of his retirement from Radcliffe Chambers with immediate effect. Steven is a high-profile legal commentator who is focusing on the new opportunities that has provided. Chambers respects his decision.
‘Steven will remain an active practitioner in the areas of commercial litigation and arbitration,’ the statement said.
Barrett came under fire last week following a post on social media site Twitter, now branded X, where he claimed to have been ‘privately contacted by a police officer…and told that what we are being told about the Southport stabbing is being managed and that their priority is that our response is managed’.
His post was later quoted by English Defence League founder Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, known as Tommy Robinson, and was criticised in a now deleted comment by Labour MP Jake Richards.
This week, Barrett appeared on TalkTV to discuss the law, free speech and social media in relation to the riots.
