Chairman of the Manchester Arena Inquiry publishes Volume 1 of Report

The Chairman of the Manchester Arena Inquiry, The Hon Sir John Saunders, has published Volume 1 of his Report into the terrorist attack which took place on 22nd May 2017.  Between September and December 2020 the Inquiry heard detailed evidence about the security arrangements at the Arena and the extent to which various parties exercised their roles by virtue of different legislative, contractual or licensing requirements.  Volume 1 contains the Chairman's findings in relation to the adequacy of those arrangements.

Volume 2 of the Report will relate to the emergency response.  That evidence is expected to conclude in October.  The third and final volume of the Report will consider the radicalisation of the terrorist and whether there were opportunities to prevent the attack in the months prior.

At the conclusion of his first Report the Chairman acknowledged the contribution of Jeremy Phillips KC and the Institute of Licensing in assisting the Inquiry in relation to matters relating to the Licensing Act 2003. He said that they had helped considerably those participating in the Inquiry in understanding how the Act was capable of being relevant to the terms of reference of the Inquiry and how in practice Licensing Committees took the possibility of terrorist attacks into consideration when making their decisions.

In March of this year Jeremy spoke alongside a representative of the Home Office on the government's proposed new Protect Duty, which will extend the need to guard against terrorist attacks to all spaces to which the public have access. The consultation on those provisions ends on 2 July 2021. Further conferences at which Jeremy will be speaking are planned by the Association of Security Consultants on 12 August 2021 and the Institute of Licensing at its annual conference between 17–19 November 2021.

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Whilst acknowledged as a leading specialist in his chosen fields, Jeremy has demonstrated unusual versatility in his ability to operate at the highest levels in a wide range of environments: from establishing his own practice, to heading up international teams in global law firms; from practising as a commercial solicitor to accepting instructions as Queen's Counsel representing leading global businesses.

This can be seen in the wide range of substantial cases which he has brought to a successful conclusion over the years, ranging from various major footpath, Town and Village Green and planning Inquiries, to successfully pursuing objections to the development consent order (DCO) for the £4.1bn Thames Tideway Tunnel infrastructure project. Jeremy has promoted rail crossing extinguishment orders for Network Rail and represented the Ramblers' Association in relation to the Bristol Bus Rapid Transit Scheme. Additionally, he has supported the successful Weymouth Relief Road and South Devon Link Road, and others larger schemes, as well as advised the recent Manchester Arena Inquiry.

Case Study & Testimonials

Teneriffe Steps, Lyme Regis

The existence of a footpath running from the centre of historic Lyme Regis' main tourist destination directly through a number of back gardens to the Marriner's seafront had been a controversial issue in the town for over a decade. Many senior lawyers had previously expressed opinions on the issue. Late in the day Jeremy was brought into this highly charged case and instructed to appear at the public inquiry on the basis of existing papers. Insisting that an early view and discussion was essential (regardless of payment), Jeremy met with the client on site. As a consequence multiple steps were taken in relation to the assembly of a complex body of evidence, covering usage of the path back to pre-war years. At the inquiry the process proved invaluable, enabling the Inspector to find that the Town Council and its supporters had failed to evidence the necessary degree of unchallenged use. Once again the Marriner family was entitled to assert the private ownership of its land and the historic path which ran through it.

"Jeremy Phillips handling of our sensitive case was perfect from the outset through to its successful conclusion. The care and attention that he gave to the task was matched by his razor-sharp grasp of the unusual issues. His forensic but ever courteous handling of witnesses was a treat to observe, disarmingly effective. An understated but devastatingly virtuoso performance."

Andrew Marriner

'The whole process could have been quite grisly. Whilst I have certainly felt the stress of the naive newcomer to such a business, I could not have been led through it more sympathetically…. We cannot thank you enough for your amazing skill: the inspector's report does seem to be made up of your final submission! A triumph on all the crucial points, utterly conclusive.'