Keir Starmer’s most senior legal adviser is facing mounting criticism after terrorism charges against an Irish rapper were thrown out of court due to what has been described as an “astonishing administrative failure.”
Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, 27, who performs under the stage name Mo Chara as part of the controversial Belfast rap group Kneecap, appeared at Woolwich Crown Court accused of a terror charge during a gig at the O2 Forum, Kentish Town, in November last year.
But Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring dismissed the case, ruling that the proceedings had been instituted “unlawfully and are null.” He found that consent from the Attorney General’s office had not been secured within the statutory six-month deadline, the paperwork was signed a day late.
“These proceedings against the defendant were instituted unlawfully and are null,” the judge said, stressing that the error left the court with “no jurisdiction” to hear the case.
The blunder has placed Lord Hermer KC, Labour’s Attorney General and one of Keir Starmer’s most senior legal advisers, at the centre of a political storm. Critics are demanding answers as to how such a high-profile terrorism prosecution was allowed to collapse.
Former immigration minister Robert Jenrick did not mince words:
“Why was the most senior law officer in government not across a high-profile terrorism case? Lord Hermer has either displayed breathtaking incompetence or his hard-left politics have influenced his conduct. He brings fresh embarrassment to the Government every day.”
A Two-Tier System?
The case has reignited claims of a double standard in how justice is applied under Labour. Free speech campaigners point to examples like Lucy Connolly, jailed over Facebook posts, while individuals facing serious terrorism allegations walk free because of legal bungles.
The suspicion lingers in Westminster that Hermer’s “error” was more than just clerical. Was it incompetence, or deliberate obstruction? Either way, a man accused of glorifying a proscribed terror organisation has walked free on a loophole.
The outcome prompted jubilant scenes in court, with supporters cheering as the rapper was told he was “free to go.” Outside, Ó hAnnaidh claimed the charge was a politically motivated attempt to silence his criticism of Israel, telling supporters:
“This was never about terrorism. It was always about Gaza. If anyone is guilty of terrorism, it’s the British state.”
Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill praised the ruling as a victory for free expression, while Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald claimed the charges were an “attempt to shut him up.”
CPS and Police Scramble
The Crown Prosecution Service said it was “reviewing the decision of the court carefully.” The Metropolitan Police also pledged to examine the ruling’s implications for future terror cases.
But the political fallout shows no signs of fading. For a Labour government already bruised by accusations of weakness on security, the collapse of this case is a gift to opponents.
Hermer now finds himself at the heart of a crisis of confidence: either grossly negligent in handling a terrorism prosecution, or fatally compromised by ideological leanings.
What is certain is that a man once accused of a terror charge is now free, not because he was found innocent, but because the Labour’s top lawyer missed a deadline.
And that, critics say, should alarm every citizen who still expects equal justice under the law.
