Oh dear. It seems after repeatedly trying (and failing) to defeat Arron Banks in court, Carole Cadwalladr has now lost for the final time. For the Supreme Court today refused the Observer journalist’s application for permission to appeal the Court of Appeal’s costs ruling in the libel case of Banks v Cadwalladr. Leaving her with a hefty bill to pay…
To recap: back in February, the Brexit-backing Banks won a partially-successful appeal of an earlier libel ruling from June 2022 over Cadwalladr’s TedTalk claims that he had a ‘covert relationship with Russia.’ In May, the Court of Appeal subsequently ordered that Cadwalladr had to pay 60 per cent of Banks’ legal fees to the tune of £1.2 million. However, she refused to accept this and sought an appeal to the Supreme Court, which in June, the Court of Appeal then rejected. Undeterred, she sought yet another appeal, which today has finally been rejected by the Supreme Court itself.
Lord Reed, Lady Rose and Lord Richards ordered that ‘permission to appeal be refused because the proposed appeal does not raise an arguable point of law.’ They judged that the 60 per cent figure ‘lay within the ambit’ of the Court of Appeal’s discretion and that, as the lower court did not err in principle or exercise unreasonable discretion, that figure ought to stand. Arron Banks saluted the result on Twitter/X with the triumphant sign-off:
Total vindication. Meanwhile she raised a shed load of money from gullible Remain fans. Good night Vienna !
He can probably afford a drink tonight…
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