Chair – Sir Ross Cranston
Sir Ross Cranston is a professor of law at London School of Economics and Political Science. He is a former Judge of the High Court of England and Wales, who sat in the Queen’s Bench Division and in 2016 became the judge in charge of the Administrative Court. In his political career, Sir Ross was MP for Dudley North between 1997 and 2005, and Solicitor General for England and Wales from 1998 to 2001.
Sir Ross has served on missions for UNCTAD, the Commonwealth Secretariat, the World Bank, the IMF and the European Commission. He was, until 2022, Chair of Trustees of the British and Irish Legal Information Institute, BAILII, which provides free access to British, Irish and European Union legal material. In 2018 he chaired a committee of JUSTICE, which published a report; Immigration and Asylum Appeals – a Fresh Look. In 2019 he conducted an independent assurance review of Lloyds Bank’s handling of claims arising from fraud committed at the HBOS Impaired Assets Office.
Counsel to the Inquiry – Rory Phillips KC
Rory Phillips KC was called to the Bar in 1984 and took silk in 2002. He has an exceptionally wide-ranging practice in the fields of commercial and public law. He has very considerable experience of inquiries and investigations and of leading and managing very substantial and high-profile litigation. He is often instructed in cases of the highest sensitivity, in new areas of the law or where procedural innovation is required.
Deputy Counsel to the Inquiry – Sarah Le Fevre
Sarah Le Fevre was called to the Bar in 2001 and is a specialist in coronial, inquiry, licensing and regulatory law. She has extensive experience and knowledge of inquiry practice and procedure and has advised and represented families, regulators, charities, corporate bodies, public authorities and other participants at all stages of inquest and inquiry proceedings. She is an Assistant Coroner for both Gwent and the County of Devon.
Solicitor to the Inquiry – Stephen Brown
Stephen qualified as a Solicitor in 1991 and worked as a legal aid lawyer for over 10 years before joining the Government Legal Department in 2004 where he is now a Senior Civil Servant leading the Public Inquiry team. Stephen has been involved in several other independent inquiries and was Deputy Solicitor to the Undercover Policing Inquiry for three years.
Deputy Solicitors to the Inquiry – Helen Moss and Zoe Staniforth
Helen Moss and Zoe Staniforth are the deputy solicitors to the Inquiry. Helen and Zoe have extensive experience of working across Government in both advisory and litigation roles. They have acted on another major public inquiry and are also experienced in providing witness support and working with senior stakeholders and witnesses.
Secretary to the Inquiry – Oliver Mulvey
Oliver has worked across a range of Civil Service roles since 2003, mostly in the Department for Transport. Most recently, he served as Deputy Director: Rail Strategy, a position he held from 2019. From 2012 to 2015, he worked at the independent Airports Commission, as the Head of Engineering, Operations and Surface Access Appraisals.
Deputy Secretary to the Inquiry – Samantha Goodey
Sam is an experienced civil servant with a decade of expertise in project and operational delivery. She has previously served as a programme manager for major rail infrastructure projects and high-profile events, including London International Shipping Week.