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Good Law Project

The Good Law Project is a United Kingdom-based non-profit organization founded in 2017 by barrister Jolyon Maugham KC, which pursues public interest litigation, investigations, and campaigns aimed at enforcing government accountability, transparency, and adherence to legal standards, particularly in areas such as public procurement, environmental policy, and governance.^[1]^[2] Maugham, a former tax specialist who has advised the Labour Party on policy, established the group to empower ordinary citizens through legal challenges against perceived state overreach, drawing on crowdfunded donations to support its operations without reliance on large institutional backers.^[3]^[4] The organization has intervened in landmark cases, including the 2019 Supreme Court challenge to the prorogation of Parliament, successful actions against the algorithmic grading of A-level examinations during the COVID-19 pandemic, and High Court rulings declaring aspects of the government's Net Zero strategy unlawful, contributing to policy adjustments and heightened scrutiny of executive decisions.^[5] It has also targeted pandemic-related procurement, such as the "VIP lane" for PPE contracts, securing disclosures that revealed potential favoritism, though outcomes have varied with some claims dismissed for lack of standing or evidential shortcomings.^[6]^[7] Despite self-reported positive outcomes in over two-thirds of its cases—encompassing both legal victories and broader campaigning impacts—the Good Law Project has faced criticism for a mixed judicial success rate, estimated by external analyses at around 45% for clear wins, and for selectively challenging actions of Conservative-led governments, raising questions of political motivation over neutral public interest.^[8]^[9] Sources from across the spectrum, including conservative outlets, have highlighted instances of failed claims, such as those alleging bias in contract awards or misuse of private messaging by officials, portraying the group as a partisan actor that burdens courts and taxpayers with ideologically driven suits.^[10]^[11]^[12]

Founding and Organizational Structure

Establishment and Early Development

The Good Law Project was established in 2017 by Jolyon Maugham, a King's Counsel (KC) previously focused on tax law practice in the City of London.^[13]^[14] Maugham, who had already engaged in public interest litigation such as Brexit-related challenges, created the organization to systematically deploy judicial review against perceived abuses of executive power.^[15] The entity's formal incorporation occurred on 10 January 2017 as Good Law Project Limited, a private company limited by guarantee without share capital, registered in England and Wales under company number 10556197.^[16] The founding impetus stemmed from frustrations with the UK government's handling of Brexit, particularly efforts under Prime Minister Theresa May to limit parliamentary involvement in key decisions, which Maugham viewed as undermining democratic accountability.^[15] Departing from his commercial legal career, Maugham positioned the project as a vehicle for "crowd-justiced" lawyering, leveraging public donations to fund test cases that ordinary citizens could not afford individually.^[13] This model emphasized strategic litigation over traditional advocacy, aiming to establish legal precedents that constrain governmental overreach. In its initial phase through 2018–2019, the organization rapidly scaled by building alliances with affected individuals, NGOs, and pro bono counsel, culminating in high-profile interventions such as supporting challenges to executive actions in the Supreme Court.^[15] Early operations were lean, operating from Maugham's oversight without a large permanent staff, and focused on high-impact areas like electoral law and public procurement to demonstrate viability.^[14] By late 2019, successes in blocking certain policy implementations validated the approach, attracting broader donor support despite criticisms of selective case targeting aligned with progressive priorities.^[13]

Leadership and Key Personnel

The Good Law Project was founded in 2017 by Jolyon Maugham KC, a barrister specializing in tax law who serves as its executive director.^[4] Maugham, appointed Queen's Counsel in 2015, has advised the Labour Party on tax policy and contributed to media outlets on legal and political matters; he is the author of Bringing Down Goliath (2023), which details strategies for challenging powerful entities through litigation.^[4] The organization's senior management includes Managing Director Ben Whur, who brings over 30 years of experience in leadership across commercial, public, and non-profit sectors, with expertise in organizational transformation and social justice initiatives, including founding a global live events agency.^[4] Finance Director Siham Bortcosh, a qualified accountant with more than 25 years in the non-profit sector, oversees financial management and compliance.^[4] Oversight is provided by a non-executive board chaired by Rupert Evans, an early GLP member who directs the Colchester Oyster Fishery and previously led TranslateMedia.^[4] Other board members include Mathew Lodge, a technology executive and CEO of an Oxford-based AI startup with prior work on space and internet projects; Susan Morgan, focused on technology's societal impacts including AI, data, and human rights, and former executive director of the Global Network Initiative; Justin Walters, a partner at OC&C Strategy Consultants specializing in technology and non-executive director at Mumsnet; and Aditi Thorat, with over 20 years in non-profits as fundraising director for organizations like Global Commons Alliance and Global Witness.^[4] The board, part of the company's governance as a non-profit limited by guarantee (registered 2016), reviews strategic risks biannually and ensures alignment with GLP's mission of accountability through law.^[17]

Operational Model

The Good Law Project functions as a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, distinct from a charitable structure, which enables it to pursue adversarial legal actions against powerful entities without the regulatory constraints imposed on charities, such as restrictions on political campaigning.^[17] This setup includes an asset lock provision, ensuring that organizational assets are directed toward its core mission rather than distributed to members upon dissolution.^[17] Operations are overseen by a board of directors responsible for strategic direction, governance, and risk management, with the chair facilitating board meetings and ensuring effective oversight.^[18] Daily operations integrate three primary pillars: strategic litigation, investigative work, and public campaigning, often conducted in collaboration with external partners such as environmental groups or affected communities.^[5] ^[19] Case selection emphasizes high-impact judicial reviews aimed at enforcing existing laws, uncovering systemic failures, and amplifying marginalized voices, with a focus on public interest issues like government transparency and environmental safeguards.^[5] Investigations, such as those exposing irregularities in public procurement or political misconduct, feed into litigation by generating evidence and public pressure, while campaigning mobilizes donor support and broader advocacy.^[5] The organization is not regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority, relying instead on instructing qualified barristers and solicitors, including founder Jolyon Maugham KC, for legal proceedings.^[20] ^[21] Financial sustainability depends on public donations and targeted crowdfunding campaigns to cover litigation costs and potential adverse awards, with transparency reports published on its website.^[17] In May 2022, the project established Good Law Practice as an affiliated independent legal entity to offer pro bono and low-cost advisory services, particularly for community-led ownership initiatives in housing and land, though this arm announced its closure by 2024 amid operational challenges.^[22] This hybrid model allows rapid response to emerging issues but has drawn criticism for potentially prioritizing media-attractive cases over exhaustive due diligence, as noted in judicial commentary on standing and resource allocation in public interest litigation.^[23]

Funding and Financial Practices

Crowdfunding Mechanisms

The Good Law Project employs crowdfunding primarily to finance public interest judicial reviews and related litigation, enabling it to cover potential adverse costs orders that deter many claimants. Funds are solicited through dedicated online campaigns tied to specific cases, such as challenges to voter ID laws or protest restrictions, which allow supporters to contribute small amounts toward legal fees, expert evidence, and operational expenses. This approach democratizes access to high-stakes litigation by pooling micro-donations from a wide base, often raising tens of thousands of pounds per campaign.^[24]^[25] Campaigns are hosted on third-party platforms including CrowdJustice and Crowdfunder, as well as bespoke pages on the organization's website that link to these services. The Good Law Project is not a crowdfunding platform itself but leverages these tools to target sympathetic donors, framing appeals around themes like human rights, environmental protection, and government accountability. A standard policy allocates 10% of raised funds to general running costs, with the remainder dedicated to the specified legal work; the group pledges to seek only amounts reasonably anticipated for expenditure, offering pro rata refunds for surpluses in some instances.^[25]^[26]^[27] Notable examples include a 2023 campaign against voter ID requirements for 16- and 17-year-olds, which raised £60,138.94 before closing without court permission to proceed. Another, launched in 2024 to protect protest rights in collaboration with the Equality and Human Rights Commission, secured £15,830 via CrowdJustice from 19 pledges. Trans rights-focused efforts, such as a fighting fund initiated in April 2025 for domestic and international cases up to the European Court of Human Rights, similarly emphasize targeted appeals with overhead contributions. These mechanisms have supported over 400 analyzed UK judicial review crowdfunders broadly, though the Good Law Project's campaigns form a prominent subset, sustaining its operational independence from traditional grant funding.^[26]^[28]^[27]^[24]

Donor Base and Transparency Issues

The Good Law Project describes its donor base as primarily composed of regular and one-off contributions from individuals across the United Kingdom, emphasizing a "people-powered model" that maintains its independence from large institutional funders.^[17] According to its governance disclosures, the organization receives supplementary support from entities such as Avaaz, the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust, the Lund Trust, a charitable fund established by philanthropists Lisbet Rausing and Peter Baldwin, Necessity, 38 Degrees, and Ecotricity CEO Dale Vince.^[17] Grant records indicate specific contributions, including £60,850 across two grants from the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust and £95,000 from the Lund Trust.^[29] The group's financial accounts, filed with Companies House, report total income of approximately £1.36 million in direct donations and £225,504 in grants as of April 2021, with recent annual reports confirming ongoing reliance on public and targeted philanthropic sources while maintaining reserves aligned with expenditures.^[11]^[30] Critics have questioned the breadth of this donor base, pointing to patterns in crowdfunding campaigns on platforms like CrowdJustice. An analysis of 44 campaigns since 2017, which raised £4,228,308, revealed repeated donor names across multiple efforts, suggesting a concentration of support from a limited number of high-value contributors rather than diffuse public backing.^[11] This has led to accusations that the project's portrayal of grassroots independence overstates the diversity of its funding, potentially masking influence from a narrower set of aligned interests, including progressive philanthropists and organizations known for supporting left-leaning advocacy.^[11] As a non-charitable limited company, the Good Law Project is not subject to the same donor disclosure mandates as registered charities under UK law, which permits anonymity for contributions below political donation reporting thresholds; its voluntary disclosures of select major funders contrast with fuller transparency requirements for entities like political parties or charitable trusts.^[17] Transparency concerns extend to the allocation of crowdfunded sums, where the organization retains a 10% administrative fee for core operations, a practice defended as necessary for sustainability but criticized for lacking detailed breakdowns on per-campaign risks or success probabilities in public appeals.^[11] While annual financial reports are publicly available and audited per board policies, the absence of itemized individual donor lists—beyond aggregated figures and named institutional supporters—has fueled skepticism from outlets examining potential biases in funding, particularly given the project's litigation focus on conservative governments and policies.^[31] No formal regulatory investigations into its donor practices have been reported, but commentators attribute this to its corporate structure, which evades stricter oversight applied to charities or political funders.^[11]

Financial Performance and Scrutiny

For the financial year ended 31 January 2025, Good Law Project Limited recorded total income of £4,440,612, comprising regular and one-off general donations of £3,557,102, crowdfunded contributions of £322,116, and grants alongside high-value donations of £561,394.^[30] Total expenditure reached £4,563,175, yielding a net deficit of £122,563, with principal outlays on wages and salaries (£1,709,135) and legal advice plus litigation (£692,780).^[30] Net assets totaled £4,501,370, including cash holdings within current assets of approximately £4.4 million, against liabilities of £298,426; unrestricted reserves amounted to £4,202,944, incorporating an £850,000 allocation for potential litigation defense.^[30] In the prior year ended 31 January 2024, income had been higher at £4,648,410, driven by general donations (£3,603,985), crowdfunding (£626,941), and grants (£417,017), against expenditure of £3,778,190, producing a smaller deficit of £79,493.^[32] Key expenses included legal costs (£942,790) and campaigns plus communications (£604,435), with reserves at £4,325,507 and cash at £4,939,246 supporting high liquidity.^[32] Independent reviewers under ISRE 2400 confirmed that statements for both years presented a true and fair view, with no material issues noted, though contingent liabilities from ongoing litigation were estimated at £144,000 in 2025 (covered by reserves) and £450,000 in 2024.^[30]^[32] Financial performance reflects reliance on public donations amid fluctuating crowdfunding, with income stable near £4.5 million annually but deficits indicating rising operational costs, particularly staffing, outpacing revenue growth post-2024.^[30]^[32] Reserves exceeding £4 million provide a buffer against litigation risks, where unsuccessful claims could trigger adverse costs, but have prompted observer questions on reserve adequacy versus mission-driven spending for a non-profit advocacy entity.^[30] Scrutiny of finances has been muted, with accounts filed transparently via Companies House as a private limited company (No. 10556197), disclosing donor categories without individual names beyond aggregates.^[33] Critics, including right-leaning commentators, have highlighted potential vulnerability after the July 2024 Labour government shift, citing halved crowdfunding (£626,941 to £322,116) as evidence of reduced momentum against a perceived aligned administration, though overall income held firm.^[34] In 2021, government statements alleged possible "abuse" of crowdfunding platforms without substantiation, a claim the organization rebutted as lacking evidence and politically motivated.^[35] No regulatory investigations into financial misconduct have been reported, contrasting with the group's own campaigns against opaque funding in rival entities.^[36]

Litigation Approach and Strategy

Judicial Review Focus

The Good Law Project employs judicial review as its primary legal mechanism to scrutinize and contest decisions by public authorities, targeting alleged failures to adhere to public law standards such as rationality, procedural fairness, and compliance with statutory duties. This approach aligns with the organization's mission to enforce accountability in government procurement, policy-making, and regulatory oversight, often initiating proceedings in the High Court against ministers or agencies.^[7] Cases typically involve claims of irrationality, inadequate consultation, or breaches of equality and environmental legislation, with GLP positioning itself as a public interest litigant granted standing due to its demonstrated concern for systemic rule-of-law issues rather than personal grievance.^[23] Prominent examples include challenges to COVID-19 procurement practices. In January 2022, the High Court ruled in GLP's favor on core aspects of claims against the Department of Health and Social Care, declaring the "VIP lane" for expediting contracts to politically connected firms—such as those awarded to Ayanda Capital and Pestfix—unlawful for lacking transparency and equal treatment, though it rejected allegations of blanket irrationality in urgency-driven awards.^[6] ^[37] GLP appealed narrower elements, reflecting a pattern of pursuing substantive policy impacts beyond initial rulings. Conversely, in December 2022, the Court of Appeal dismissed GLP's judicial review of the Prime Minister's role in appointing Baroness Hallett to lead the COVID-19 inquiry, finding no evidence of apparent bias or procedural irregularity sufficient to warrant intervention.^[38] In environmental litigation, GLP has co-led proceedings testing government strategies under the Climate Change Act 2008. The July 2022 High Court judgment in Friends of the Earth, ClientEarth, and GLP v Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy upheld the Net Zero Strategy against claims of legal inadequacy, ruling that courts lack authority to mandate specific emissions reductions or re-evaluate policy merits absent clear statutory breaches.^[39] This outcome underscored judicial deference to executive discretion in complex policy domains, limiting GLP's success in forcing substantive revisions. More recently, GLP initiated a judicial review in 2025 against the Equality and Human Rights Commission's interim guidance clarifying protections under the Equality Act 2010 in light of the Supreme Court's For Women Scotland decision on sex-based rights. On 4 July 2025, the High Court granted anonymity to individual claimants citing privacy in trans status and deferred substantive rulings, directing GLP to refine its grounds amid disputes over the guidance's lawfulness.^[40] ^[41] The case remains ongoing, with GLP advocating for its unlawfulness while publishing procedural documents to promote transparency.^[42] GLP self-reports a 45% full-win rate across its cases as of November 2022, categorizing outcomes as wins, mixed results, or losses based on policy concessions, permissions granted, or court declarations, supplemented by a higher rate for advancing to full hearings.^[43] Critics, however, contend this metric inflates achievements by incorporating preliminary stages and settlements over outright judicial victories, estimating full court wins at around 16% in a review of 51 actions up to mid-2023.^[44] ^[11] This discrepancy highlights definitional variances in "success" within judicial review, where low overall win rates (historically under 5% for policy challenges reaching final hearings) reflect courts' restraint against substituting judgments for executive functions.^[45]

Case Selection Criteria

The Good Law Project selects cases that align with its mission to hold power accountable through strategic litigation aimed at achieving widespread systemic change. All prospective cases must demonstrate legal merit, though the threshold varies based on the significance of the underlying issue and potential impact. Beyond merit, cases are evaluated against five key features, requiring at least one to be present: (1) evidence of actual or latent public or political interest in the issue; (2) relevance to challenges faced by particularly disadvantaged communities; (3) potential to expand the organization's reach to new audiences; (4) addressing matters unlikely to attract litigation from other entities; or (5) opportunities for organizational learning through innovative approaches.^[46] Resource allocation, including financial and staff commitments, is determined by the strength with which a case satisfies these features, prioritizing those with broader prospective effects over narrower disputes. The organization maintains a balanced litigation portfolio by monitoring case distribution across the criteria and publicly reporting on progress to ensure transparency and alignment with stakeholder expectations. This framework complements non-litigation activities, such as investigations and campaigns, to amplify overall impact.^[46]

Tactical Methods and Innovations

The Good Law Project initiates judicial reviews by issuing pre-action protocol letters, a standard procedure under UK civil litigation rules that requires public bodies to respond within 14 days, often prompting disclosures or concessions to avoid full proceedings. In a May 2025 challenge to the Equality and Human Rights Commission's interim guidance on single-sex spaces, the organization sent such a letter demanding justification and evidence, highlighting perceived flaws in the policy's legal basis. This tactic pressures defendants early, as seen in their July 2025 application for permission to seek review of a government decision, where prior pre-action correspondence outlined grounds including procedural unfairness.^[47]^[48]^[49] Complementing litigation, the group conducts investigative work to uncover evidence of public law breaches, such as irregularities in procurement processes, which forms the basis for selecting high-impact cases. Their approach combines this with public campaigning to amplify pressure, as articulated in their mission to "use the law to hold power to account" through integrated legal, investigative, and advocacy efforts. This method underpinned challenges to government contracts, including those awarded without competitive tendering, where initial scrutiny revealed potential conflicts of interest.^[5]^[50] A key innovation lies in leveraging crowdfunding to finance judicial reviews, enabling rapid mobilization of resources for multiple actions without reliance on institutional donors. The organization has run dedicated campaigns on platforms like CrowdJustice, raising £60,138 for a 2022-2023 voter ID challenge and £22,155 for a General Medical Council accountability case in 2023. Empirical studies of 413 UK crowdfunding efforts for judicial review identify this as a growing trend that lowers financial barriers to public interest claims, with Good Law Project exemplifying its application to systemic issues like procurement transparency. However, it has drawn scrutiny for potentially encouraging claims with low prospects of success by distributing costs across small donors.^[26]^[51]^[52]^[53]^[54] Case selection emphasizes strategic litigation aimed at "changes with widespread effects," prioritizing grounds like irrationality or procedural impropriety in public decision-making over individual grievances. This focus on precedent-setting reviews, often involving public interest standing, allows challenges to policies with broad implications, such as environmental regulations or equality frameworks, though courts have occasionally rejected standing where sufficient private interest is absent.^[55]^[23]

Major Litigation Themes

COVID-19 Procurement Challenges

The Good Law Project (GLP) pursued multiple judicial reviews against the UK government's COVID-19 procurement practices, primarily targeting the awarding of personal protective equipment (PPE) contracts without competitive tendering and the operation of a "VIP lane" that prioritized suppliers referred by politicians and senior officials.^[37] These efforts, initiated in 2020, alleged breaches of the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (PCR 2015), including failures in transparency, equal treatment, and publication requirements, amid the urgency of the pandemic that saw over £15 billion spent on PPE.^[6] GLP collaborated with organizations like EveryDoctor and relied on freedom of information requests and leaked data to substantiate claims of systemic favoritism toward politically connected firms.^[56] A landmark victory came in R (Good Law Project) v Secretary of State for Health and Social Care EWHC 246 (TCC), where on 19 February 2021, the High Court ruled that the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) unlawfully failed to publish contract award notices for 55 direct-award PPE contracts worth £3.4 billion, violating regulation 50 of the PCR 2015 and Cabinet Office transparency guidance.^[57]^[58] The court ordered publication of redacted details, emphasizing that emergency circumstances did not excuse statutory duties, though it upheld the direct awards themselves as justified under regulation 32(2)(c) for extreme urgency.^[59] In parallel challenges to the VIP lane—through which over 7,000 suppliers were assessed, with 20-30% of high-priority referrals from MPs and peers like Matt Hancock—the High Court in January 2022 (R (Good Law Project) v Minister for the Cabinet Office EWHC 34 (TCC)) declared the system's operation unlawful for specific contracts awarded to firms such as Ayanda Capital (£252 million) and Pestfix (£350 million).^[60]^[61] Justice Julia Bacquet found that lane prioritization breached PCR 2015 principles of equal treatment and transparency by granting preferential processing to politically referred bidders, describing the illegality as "marked by the clearest of colours" despite the pandemic's pressures.^[62] However, the court refused to quash these contracts, concluding on the balance of probabilities that they would have succeeded via standard lanes given product availability and demand.^[6] GLP appealed aspects of this decision, arguing for broader declarations of unlawfulness.^[63] GLP's litigation revealed empirical irregularities, including documents showing VIP-lane PPE cost 80% more on average than open-route equivalents and contributed to £1.2 billion in write-offs for unusable stock from just three suppliers.^[64]^[65] Government recovery efforts recouped only 3.4% of wasted funds by July 2024.^[66] Not all claims prevailed; a October 2022 challenge to DHSC's direct award of £453 million in antibody testing contracts to Roche and Abbott was dismissed, with the court questioning GLP's sufficient interest as a non-economic operator and finding no procedural unfairness.^[67]^[68] By June 2023, GLP settled four pandemic procurement disputes, including the Hanbury Pharma case, agreeing to pay £60,000 toward government costs while securing admissions of procedural lapses in others.^[69] These actions prompted greater disclosure of over 1,000 contracts and influenced the COVID-19 Inquiry's scrutiny of procurement, though critics noted the emergency context mitigated some breaches without evidencing widespread corruption.^[70]

Environmental and Energy Cases

The Good Law Project has initiated multiple judicial reviews targeting UK government energy policies and decisions, primarily arguing procedural failures in assessing climate impacts and delivery risks under the Climate Change Act 2008. These cases often collaborate with environmental NGOs such as ClientEarth and Friends of the Earth, emphasizing challenges to fossil fuel-aligned frameworks and barriers to renewables. Outcomes have included court declarations of unlawfulness on technical grounds, prompting government revisions, though substantive policy shifts remain limited.^[39]^[71] In May 2020, the Good Law Project, alongside environmentalists Dale Vince and George Monbiot, launched a judicial review of the UK's Energy National Policy Statements (ENPS), originally designated in 2011. The claimants contended that the statements failed to incorporate the UK's commitments under the Paris Agreement and its 2050 net zero target, rendering them outdated for approving fossil fuel infrastructure like gas and nuclear plants. The government conceded in October 2020, agreeing to review the ENPS without a full hearing, citing the need to align with evolved climate obligations; a consultation on revisions followed in 2021.^[72]^[73] A landmark challenge came in 2022 against the government's Net Zero Strategy, published in October 2021 as part of the Sixth Carbon Budget framework. Joined by Friends of the Earth and ClientEarth, the Good Law Project argued the strategy unlawfully omitted quantified delivery plans and risk assessments for sectors like power, industry, and buildings, breaching section 14 of the Climate Change Act. In July 2022, the High Court ruled the strategy partially unlawful, finding inadequate consideration of policy credibility and sectoral pathways to emissions reductions, though it upheld broader modeling approaches. The government revised elements in response, but critics noted persistent gaps in enforceable timelines.^[39]^[74] This led to a follow-up "Net Zero II" case in 2023-2024, targeting the Carbon Budget Delivery Plan (CBDP) laid before Parliament in March 2023. The Good Law Project specifically challenged the exclusion of delivery risk assessments for carbon budgets, while co-claimants focused on overall credibility. In May 2024, the High Court declared the CBDP unlawful, ruling that the Secretary of State failed to provide Parliament with required information on policy implementation risks and sectoral contributions, echoing prior procedural deficiencies. The judgment mandated revisions, with the government committing to a new plan by October 2025; however, it did not invalidate underlying emissions targets.^[75]^[76]^[77] On renewables, the Good Law Project sought judicial review in 2024 of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero's refusal to include onshore wind in updated ENPS, arguing it perpetuated a de facto ban since 2015 by sidelining the technology in nationally significant infrastructure planning. Permission was granted by the High Court in June 2024 after initial refusal, highlighting potential breaches of net zero duties. The case became partially moot following the July 2024 Labour government's policy shift to ease onshore wind restrictions, though full settlement details remain pending. Separately, in June 2024, the group challenged central government constraints on local councils adopting higher energy efficiency standards for new homes, with an appeal underway after an initial dismissal.^[78]^[79] Other actions include support for halting illegal coal extraction at the Ffos-y-Frân opencast mine in Wales, ongoing since 2023 on environmental compliance grounds, and a March 2025 challenge to £22 billion in public funding for the Net Zero Teesside carbon capture project, alleging overstated emissions offsets. In October 2024, the Information Commissioner's Office upheld a Good Law Project request for disclosure of internal documents on net zero modeling risks. These efforts underscore a litigation strategy prioritizing procedural accountability over direct fossil fuel bans, with courts consistently flagging informational shortfalls rather than outright policy illegality.^[80]^[81]^[82] The Good Law Project has pursued judicial reviews challenging perceived failures in public bodies' compliance with equality duties, particularly under the Equality Act 2010, focusing on protections for marginalized groups. In February 2022, alongside the Runnymede Trust, it contested the UK government's appointment processes for public roles, alleging breaches of the public sector equality duty through a lack of diversity considerations in shortlisting criteria; the High Court ruled that while the Runnymede Trust had standing, the Good Law Project did not, dismissing its claims on procedural grounds.^[83] In April 2024, it supported a High Court challenge against Westminster City Council's housing allocation policies, arguing that exemptions from equality impact assessments during resource constraints violated statutory duties to advance equality; the court held that fiscal pressures do not excuse such obligations, affirming the need for evidence-based assessments even in austerity.^[84] From 2024 onward, the organization's equality litigation has centered on transgender inclusion, intervening in Supreme Court proceedings in For Women Scotland Ltd v Scottish Ministers (2025) to advocate for trans individuals' experiences amid debates over the definition of "sex" in the Equality Act.^[85] Following the Supreme Court's December 2024 ruling that "sex" refers to biological sex at birth for single-sex service provisions, the Good Law Project launched a judicial review in June 2025 against the Equality and Human Rights Commission's (EHRC) interim guidance, which advised employers and service providers on implementing exclusions based on biological sex; claimants, including trans and intersex individuals represented by the organization, contended the guidance unlawfully prioritized biological criteria over inclusive practices and potentially breached retained EU equality law.^[42] ^[41] The High Court scheduled a hearing for November 2025, after the EHRC partially withdrew elements of the guidance in October 2025 amid the challenge.^[86] In July 2025, the Good Law Project initiated proceedings against the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI), alleging the commission's advice to employers on gender-specific facilities ignored trans protections under the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement and the European Convention on Human Rights; the ECNI rescinded the disputed guidance pre-litigation, prompting the organization to press for formal compliance undertakings.^[87] These cases reflect a pattern of targeting regulatory bodies for allegedly restrictive interpretations of equality law post-judicial clarifications on sex-based rights, though outcomes remain pending or partial, with critics noting the organization's selective emphasis on inclusion over competing protections for biological females in segregated spaces.^[88] In September 2024, it announced a strategic pivot away from directly funding or litigating trans cases after 2025, opting to support allied organizations instead.^[89]

Other Judicial Reviews

The Good Law Project has initiated judicial reviews challenging electoral processes and Brexit-related governmental transparency. In 2018, it brought a judicial review against the Electoral Commission over its investigation into Vote Leave's EU referendum spending, contending that the Commission erred in law by not properly assessing whether Vote Leave and the BeLeave campaign "worked together" to exceed spending limits through an improper donation of £625,000.^[90] The Divisional Court granted permission and ruled in favor of the Good Law Project on the interpretative issue, finding the Commission's guidance on coordination flawed, which prompted further scrutiny but did not result in full sanctions against Vote Leave.^[91]^[92] In 2017, the organization filed judicial review proceedings alongside Baroness Scott Cato to force the Department for Exiting the European Union to disclose 50 sectoral impact assessments on Brexit's economic effects, arguing that public interest necessitated transparency despite claimed exemptions under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.^[93] The government subsequently released redacted versions of the studies in February 2018, but the Good Law Project criticized them as heavily censored and pursued ongoing efforts to obtain unredacted documents, highlighting tensions over executive accountability during Brexit negotiations.^[94]^[95] The Good Law Project has also supported or participated in challenges to parliamentary prorogation in 2019, backing Scottish parliamentarians' judicial review against Boris Johnson's advice to prorogue Parliament for five weeks ahead of Brexit, though a Scottish court dismissed the claim for lack of standing; this aligned with broader litigation that ultimately succeeded in the UK Supreme Court on separate grounds.^[96] In regulatory domains outside core policy disputes, recent efforts include a 2024 judicial review against Ofcom for allegedly exempting GB News from standard broadcast impartiality rules, asserting that such a decision undermined media regulation integrity.^[97] Similarly, the organization has pursued judicial review against HMRC for failing to apply anti-avoidance provisions to a £600 million private equity tax loophole, claiming administrative inaction favored high-income earners.^[98] These cases reflect a pattern of targeting perceived regulatory leniency toward conservative-leaning entities or fiscal policies, though outcomes have varied with courts often upholding agency discretion.^[99]

Controversies and Criticisms

Partisan Bias Allegations

Critics, including Conservative politicians and right-leaning commentators, have alleged that the Good Law Project (GLP) displays partisan bias by selectively pursuing litigation against Conservative-led governments while rarely challenging Labour administrations. From 2016 to 2024, during periods of Conservative rule, GLP initiated numerous judicial reviews targeting decisions on Brexit prorogation, COVID-19 procurement contracts, and environmental policies, often framing them as instances of cronyism or unlawfulness aligned with progressive critiques.^[100]^[10] In contrast, GLP has not mounted equivalent high-profile challenges to Labour government actions, such as procurement during the 2008-2010 financial crisis or local authority decisions under Labour control, leading to claims of one-sided case selection driven by political motivations rather than neutral legal principle.^[101] The organization has been characterized as a "liberal lawfare outfit" employing courts for "politics by other means," with director Jolyon Maugham accused of leveraging his anti-Brexit stance and criticisms of Conservative figures to influence priorities.^[101]^[100] Specific examples include crowdfunded challenges to appointments like Dido Harding's role in test-and-trace, raising over £388,000 but later dropped after evidence of her qualifications emerged, and abandoned claims of sham contract records lacking substantiation.^[100] Former Chancellor Rishi Sunak denounced such efforts as "lawfare" and "judicial recidivism," vowing in 2022 to restrict repetitive judicial reviews that burden public resources with politically tinged disputes.^[102]^[103] GLP rejects these allegations, asserting that it selects cases based on evidence of governmental unlawfulness irrespective of ruling party, and positions itself as a non-partisan entity promoting accountability through law.^[104] However, detractors, including judges who have dismissed cases for lacking clear relief or merit, argue this pattern indicates an abuse of the judicial system to advance a progressive agenda, echoing broader concerns about strategic litigation blurring into partisan campaigning.^[10]^[100]

Low Success Rate and Resource Allocation

The Good Law Project's judicial review efforts have yielded a low rate of substantive court victories, with official data indicating that HM Government prevailed in 19 cases against the organization as of November 2023, while GLP secured wins in only 6, alongside 7 settlements and 9 withdrawals.^[105] This outcome reflects broader trends in judicial review success, where claimants face high evidentiary thresholds, but GLP's record—particularly a 0% win rate across 12 resolved crowdfunded cases in 2023—suggests selective case pursuit may prioritize visibility over viability.^[106] GLP counters by claiming a 68% overall success rate across 47 assessed matters, incorporating campaigning impacts and partial legal gains beyond strict judgments.^[43] Financial repercussions from these losses have strained resource allocation, as GLP has paid £984,098 in adverse costs to HM Government since 2017, receiving just £160,926 in return—a net outflow evidencing frequent defeats under the "loser pays" principle in English civil proceedings.^[105] Funded via crowdfunding and donations totaling over £4 million from 44 campaigns since inception, the organization incurs substantial litigation expenses on cases with slim odds, prompting critiques of donor fund inefficiency.^[11] For example, strict tallies of court judgments yield an approximate 16% win rate across 51 tracked actions, excluding non-adversarial efforts that GLP includes to bolster metrics.^[44] This approach raises causal concerns about misdirected resources: monies raised for public accountability often subsidize opponent costs rather than advancing policy change through wins, potentially deterring winnable claims in favor of partisan themes like procurement scrutiny.^[9] Settlements and withdrawals, while averting full losses, still consume preparatory investments without conclusive rulings, amplifying opportunity costs for a donor base expecting higher accountability yields. Empirical patterns thus imply that GLP's strategy, while generating media attention, underperforms in core legal efficacy relative to expended capital.^[10]

Broader Impacts on Democratic Processes

The Good Law Project's strategy of initiating frequent judicial reviews against government decisions has been credited by supporters with bolstering transparency and rule-of-law adherence, yet critics contend it exemplifies "lawfare" that impedes the executive's capacity to implement democratically mandated policies efficiently.^[103]^[10] In an August 2022 speech, then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak specifically highlighted the Good Law Project as contributing to the "politicising of our courts," asserting that such campaigns waste taxpayer funds, prolong legal battles, and substitute unelected judicial oversight for parliamentary sovereignty.^[103] This approach, reliant on crowdfunding and public interest standing, amplifies non-governmental actors' influence over policy, potentially eroding the electorate's primacy in directing elected officials.^[10]^[107] Empirical evidence underscores the resource strain: the project's challenges, such as those scrutinizing COVID-19 procurement contracts awarded without full competition, have compelled disclosures of over £15 billion in spending details by October 2020, fostering accountability in emergency contexts.^[108] However, even unsuccessful claims impose delays and defense costs on the state; for instance, a 2022 High Court rejection of the project's Public First contract challenge still required government expenditure on legal defenses amid ongoing procurement scrutiny.^[109] Broader data from the period shows a surge in judicial review filings against the executive—rising from 84 in 2010 to over 200 annually by 2020—partly driven by advocacy groups like the Good Law Project, correlating with heightened policy friction and calls for procedural reforms to curb "judicial recidivism."^[45]^[103] These dynamics raise causal concerns about democratic erosion: while judicial review serves as a check on arbitrary power, asymmetric litigation by well-resourced NGOs risks entrenching veto points that favor stasis over decisive action, particularly when cases target one political administration disproportionately.^[10]^[107] The project's own acknowledgment of declining success rates—attributing it to governmental resistance rather than merit—highlights how persistent challenges, win or lose, can incentivize bureaucratic caution and indirect policy nullification, shifting accountability from voters to courts.^[43] In response, legislative proposals like the 2022 Judicial Review Bill sought to limit such interventions' scope, reflecting unease that unchecked "progressive lawfare" undermines the mandate derived from elections.^[45]^[103]

Reception, Impact, and Evolution

Achievements and Policy Influences

The Good Law Project has secured several judicial review victories that compelled government reconsideration of procurement processes, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2021, the High Court ruled that the UK government's award of a £560,000 contract to market research firm Public First for focus groups on ethnicity and COVID-19 compliance was unlawful due to inadequate transparency and competition, ordering the decision's quashing.^[110] This outcome highlighted flaws in accelerated procurement under emergency powers, prompting broader scrutiny of similar contracts and contributing to parliamentary inquiries into pandemic spending irregularities.^[12] In environmental and social policy domains, the organization supported successful challenges that advanced accountability. On May 20, 2025, the Good Law Project backed Kids Company's judicial review, where the Upper Tribunal overturned the Charity Commission's closure decision, reinstating the charity's registration and criticizing the regulator's procedural errors; this influenced Charity Commission practices on evidence handling in dissolution cases.^[111] Similarly, in October 2025, a High Court ruling in a gender recognition case, the third consecutive win for the project in defending trans rights, invalidated restrictive guidance, reinforcing statutory protections under the Gender Recognition Act 2004 and affecting Equality and Human Rights Commission policy interpretations.^[112] These cases have indirectly shaped policy by enforcing procurement transparency standards, as evidenced by a November 2022 High Court declaration that the government's £70 billion Test and Trace framework lacked sufficient publication of contract details, underscoring the need for open tendering even in crises.^[113] Overall, the project reports a 45% win rate across 40 assessable cases as of late 2022, with successes often yielding settlements or policy adjustments, such as government concessions on contract validity that avoided further litigation costs.^[43] Such interventions have elevated public and legislative demands for ethical contracting, though direct causal links to systemic reforms remain debated amid the organization's selective case focus.^[114]

Public and Media Reception

The Good Law Project has elicited sharply divided responses from media outlets, largely aligning with political leanings, with progressive publications portraying it as a vital check on government overreach while conservative ones decry it as a vehicle for partisan lawfare. Coverage in The Guardian has frequently highlighted its role in exposing alleged cronyism, such as during COVID-19 procurement challenges, framing founder Jolyon Maugham as a principled advocate pushing back against ministerial misconduct.^[115] ^[14] In contrast, The Spectator has criticized its repeated courtroom defeats and questioned its claims of success, arguing that such strategic litigation exacerbates societal divisions rather than resolving them.^[10] Critics in right-leaning media, including The Telegraph, have accused the organization of overreaching by treating judicial review as a routine tool against disfavored policies, with courts explicitly warning it lacks "carte blanche" to litigate without strong grounds.^[116] Publications like The Critic have spotlighted discrepancies in its self-reported success rates—GLP claiming around 66% favorable outcomes in select cases, while independent analyses peg legal wins closer to 45%—portraying it as inflating achievements to sustain crowdfunding.^[11] ^[9] Such scrutiny intensified amid high-profile losses, including on environmental and procurement disputes, where detractors argue taxpayer-funded defenses drain public resources for ideologically driven suits.^[117] Public reception mirrors this polarization, with limited broad polling but evident support from progressive donors enabling sustained operations via crowdfunding, contrasted by political backlash from Conservative figures like Rishi Sunak, who in 2022 labeled it a time-waster amid leadership contests.^[50] Online discourse, including on platforms like Reddit, shows niche enthusiasm among advocacy communities for its stances on issues like trans rights and climate policy, yet broader skepticism over its efficacy and perceived bias against right-leaning governments.^[118] This divide underscores debates on whether such groups enhance accountability or undermine democratic mandates through protracted legal challenges.

Recent Developments and Strategic Shifts

In September 2024, the Good Law Project announced the closure of Good Law Practice, a separate legal entity it had established in 2021 to provide independent litigation services and mitigate regulatory concerns over crowd-sourced funding models.^[119] The decision marked a strategic reversion to procuring legal services directly in-house, with several Good Law Practice staff expected to transition to roles within the Good Law Project itself, aiming for greater operational efficiency amid ongoing scrutiny of its funding and case selection practices.^[120] This shift followed criticisms, including a 2022 High Court ruling that rejected claims of improper procurement in its pandemic contracts challenge but highlighted tensions over its activist-driven approach.^[38] Throughout 2025, the organization pursued several high-profile judicial reviews, reflecting sustained focus on environmental accountability and equality protections. On May 22, it supported a new claim against government subsidies for fossil fuel projects, arguing failures in net zero compliance.^[121] In June, it secured a concession from the NHS affirming patients' data rights in health records, averting broader privacy erosions.^[122] These efforts built on prior successes, such as the 2024 Supreme Court ruling enabling lawsuits against water companies for sewage pollution, while adapting to a Labour government context that offered potential for policy-aligned reforms but prompted challenges to perceived repressive measures, including criticisms of proposed ID card expansions.^[104] A notable emphasis emerged in equality disputes involving transgender rights, with proceedings launched on June 6 against the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) over interim guidance on single-sex facilities, which the project contended unlawfully prioritized biological sex over inclusion. This was followed by a July 11 lawsuit against the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland for withdrawing but not fully rescinding advice restricting transgender access to single-sex spaces, alleging persistent legal violations.^[87] In October, the High Court ruled in favor of a transgender man's gender recognition claim, a development the project hailed as a compassionate rebuke to restrictive precedents, amid a YouGov poll it commissioned showing 91% of transgender respondents distrusting Labour's commitments on the issue.^[123]^[124] These actions signal no retreat from core campaigns but a tactical evolution toward targeted interventions against independent regulators and emerging government policies, leveraging post-2024 electoral shifts for broader systemic accountability rather than solely oppositional litigation.^[125] The in-house model and selective case prioritization underscore an intent to optimize resources amid a historically low judicial success rate, estimated below 20% in prior analyses of strategic litigation groups.^[55]

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[102]
Rishi Sunak accuses Jolyon Maugham QC of 'wasting time and ...
Aug 22, 2022 · Rishi Sunak has accused Jolyon Maugham QC and his Good Law Project ... In the release, Mr Sunak promises to resist what he calls “lawfare ...
[103]
Sunak pledges crackdown on JR "lawfare" and "judicial recidivism"
Aug 22, 2022 · Conservative leadership candidate Rishi Sunak yesterday pledged to crack down on “lawfare” and “judicial recidivism ... [Good Law Project] now has ...
[104]
Good Law Project: Homepage
Good Law Project | We use the law to resist hate and bring hope – injustice is not inevitable.AboutThe latest updates and news ...JobsCampaignsContact
[105]
Good Law Project: Legal Costs
Nov 20, 2023 · The Good Law Project has paid £984,098.45 in legal costs to HM Government, while HM Government has paid £160,925.71 in legal costs to the Good ...
[106]
Good Law Project Did Not Win a Case Last Year - Guido Fawkes
Jan 3, 2024 · As it turns out, his Good Law Project didn't win a single case. Out of 12 crowdfunded cases opened in 2023 none have been resolved successfully for the ...
[107]
The Class War Can't be Won in the Courts - Tribune
Mar 30, 2022 · Emblematic of 'progressive lawfare' is the Good Law Project, a serial public interest litigator started by former Ed Miliband adviser Jolyon ...
[108]
https://www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk/procurement-and-contracts/402-procurement-news/45078-mps-and-good-law-project-launch-legal-action-against-government-over-repeated-failure-to-publish-details-of-contract-awards-during-pandemic
[109]
R (Good Law Project) v Minister for the Cabinet Office [2022]
Feb 4, 2022 · The Good Law Project (GLP) brought a Judicial Review before O'Farrell J to challenge the legality of the contract awarded to Public First on three grounds.Missing: five | Show results with:five
[110]
Our court wins in 2021 | Good Law Project
Dec 11, 2021 · The case of AB v Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust was funded by Good Law Project's Trans Legal Defence Fund. The High Court ruling was released ...
[111]
Vindicated: Kids Company wins landmark legal battle against the ...
May 20, 2025 · We are delighted to announce that Kids' Company's judicial review of the Charity Commission, supported by Good Law Project, has succeeded.
[112]
WIN: Victory in landmark case on gender recognition
Oct 17, 2025 · In a landmark decision for trans rights, the High Court has ruled that a panel acted unlawfully in denying a trans man a gender recognition ...Missing: achievements | Show results with:achievements
[113]
A win for the Good Law Project, and the importance of procurement ...
Nov 9, 2022 · The Good Law Project successfully challenged the award of a £ ... How we work · Our Standards. We work hard to be a values-led ...
[114]
When hard cases make Good Law | Law Society of Scotland
Apr 17, 2023 · The Good Law Project hopes to open in Scotland to counter increasing obstacles down south. The Journal spoke to founder Jolyon Maugham KC.<|control11|><|separator|>
[115]
Good Law Project's Jolyon Maugham: 'They see us pushing back hard'
May 25, 2021 · His case over PPE contracts has got under ministers' skin – and he says he has ambitions beyond litigation.<|separator|>
[116]
The Good Law Project told it does not have 'carte blanche' to sue the ...
Feb 15, 2022 · The legal campaign group has brought several high-profile cases against the Government, including over the procurement of PPE.Missing: Spectator | Show results with:Spectator
[117]
Jolyon Maugham reaches new level of desperation | The Spectator
Feb 5, 2025 · ... Good Law Project values'. Applicants with 'lived experience of ... How does one's mind get occupied with such frivolous left wing nonsense?Missing: mail. | Show results with:mail.
[118]
Good Law Project update : r/transgenderUK - Reddit
May 1, 2025 · We have teams engaged and working on about twenty legal initiatives. We are involved in one case which is already before the courts.Good Law Project Is Going Up & Up.... : r/transgenderUK - RedditGood Law Project Will Appeal High Court Decision on Trans Waiting ...More results from www.reddit.com<|separator|>
[119]
Good Law Practice to close
Sep 6, 2024 · Good Law Practice to close. Good Law Project exists to hold power to account. We bring together legal action, investigations ...
[120]
Good Law Practice: Home
Good Law Practice to Close. We regret to inform you that Good Law Practice will cease trading on 31 October 2024. As part of this transition, ...
[121]
R (Boswell) -v- SoS for Energy Security and Net Zero & Ors
May 22, 2025 · Dr. Andrew Boswell has now submitted a new claim for judicial review along with Good Law Project, contending that the government subsidy for the ...
[122]
https://goodlawproject.org/update/win-nhs-admits-it-has-to-respect-patient-data-rights/
[123]
In a landmark decision for trans... - Good Law Project | Facebook
Oct 18, 2025 · In a landmark decision for trans rights, the High Court has ruled that a panel acted unlawfully in denying a trans man a gender recognition
[124]
https://www.scenemag.co.uk/yougov-poll-commissioned-by-the-good-law-project-reveals-91-of-trans-respondents-distrust-labour-on-trans-rights/
[125]
Good Law Project | We've been working hard over the last couple of ...
Dec 31, 2024 · With the political change we saw this year, we have the opportunity to create positive, meaningful change in 2025 – and use the law to create a ...Missing: developments | Show results with:developments