Prominent barrister Lord Pannick KC (David Pannick) has an interesting take on former prime minister Boris Johnson’s contribution to constitutional law. Pannick was part of the legal team that helped campaigner Gina Miller defeat the Johnson government in the prorogation case. More recently, he advised Johnson in relation to the privileges committee’s inquiry on whether the former PM misled parliament over ‘partygate’ allegations.

Discussing his legal career with Gazette columnist Joshua Rozenberg at a Support Through Court event last week, Pannick said: ‘Boris Johnson has made a significant contribution to constitutional law in this country. Whatever you think of his political skills or otherwise, he has certainly done that.’

Johnson’s contributions included introducing judicial review reforms perceived by public law campaigners to be a way to curb judges’ powers. Is judicial review alive and well? an audience member asked Pannick. In short, yes. ‘It’s thousands of cases a year, principles are developed all the time, it’s a basic element of the rule of law. Governments [threaten] to reduce it from time to time, but it has a persistence, it remains and long may it remain.

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