On 26 March 2020, a new law appeared. In 11 pages it confined tens of millions of people to their homes, restricting our freedoms more than any other law in history, justified by the rapid spread of a deadly new virus. Never debated in Parliament, it came into force as soon as it was signed, amid a state of emergency being declared, it lasted for over two years and allowed ministers to bring in over 100 new laws by decree, laws then broken by the then-Prime Minister and many of his colleagues.

Described by former Supreme Court President Lady Hale as “a riveting account of how our democracy was put under threat during the Pandemic” in Emergency State: How We Lost Our Freedoms in the Pandemic and Why it Matters leading human rights barrister Adam Wagner shares this startling story and offers a wakeup call. A member of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) panel of counsel who has represented the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA), Adam joins us to discuss his highly anticipated and much-discussed first book.

Adam Wagner is one of the UK’s leading human rights barristers and the UK’s pre-eminent expert on COVID-19 laws. He was described in the House of Lords as ‘the only person in the country who can make sense of this variety of regulations’. He practises from Doughty Street Chambers. He appears regularly on TV and radio, and during the pandemic was often called upon to interpret the bewildering COVID-19 laws, explaining to Piers Morgan whether it was legal to sit on a park bench and helping the public understand when politicians broke the law. Adam has acted in some of the key human rights cases of recent years, including for #ReclaimTheseStreets in their successful case against the Metropolitan Police relating to the vigil following the murder of Sarah Everard. He was Specialist Advisor to the Joint Committee on Human Rights inquiry into the human rights implications of COVID-19 and is a Visiting Professor of Law at Goldsmiths University.

Rob Rinder is a barrister turned writer and broadcaster. In 2014, while still a practising Barrister, he began starring in his reality court show Judge Rinder, now in it’s 8th series; and uses his legal knowledge working in the media to make the law more accessible and understandable to the public regularly appearing on shows such as This Morning and Good Morning Britain.

Alongside Judge Rinder, Rob has also presented shows including Judge Rinder’s Crime Stories and The Rob Rinder Verdict as well as hosting his own BBC Radio 5Live series Raising the Bar aiming to demystify the legal system. His participation in series 15 of Who Do You Think You Are? retraced the story of his Holocaust survivor Grandfather and received critical acclaim. Following this, Rob embarked on an emotional journey exploring further his own family’s Holocaust stories resulting in a 2-part documentary My Family, The Holocaust and Me. In 2023 Rob is co-presenting a subsequent documentary exploring the history of Israel and Palestine.

Along with his screen work Rob has published Rinder’s Rules which provides a thorough guide to everyday legal issues including sections on jargon-busting, consumer rights and common mistakes. He is also a columnist for the London Evening Standard newspaper.

He is currently writing his first fiction novel, due for release in July 2023.