Matrix Podcasts
Matrix Podcasts shares two podcast series from Matrix Chambers, a renowned set of barristers' chambers. The episodes explore legal topics, including human rights and international law. All episodes from the two series are posted on this account.
Episodes
A Common Concern: The Climate Justice Podcast - Projecting Inequality Part 2: integrated assessment models, from techno-speculation to socio-economic stasis?
In Part 2 of this episode Kate Cook, Tejal Kantikar and Linda Schneider look at normative choices and assumptions underpinning integrated assessment models in the IPCC's mitigation report and examine how the future AR7 report could be aligned with equity, a legal requirement, using a wider range of economic approaches and models, including those produced by developing countries.
A Common Concern: The Climate Justice Podcast - Projecting global inequality? The need for equity-alignment in mitigation models and scenarios in IPCC assessments
The mitigation models, scenarios and emission pathways presented by IPCC Working Group 3 are highly technical but have direct implications for the distribution of the mitigation burden and securing climate justice for the poorest and most vulnerable states and regions. In this two part episode, Kate Cook discusses equity-related criticisms of these models and scenarios with two expert guests, Teja
A Common Concern: The Climate Justice Podcast - From wellbeing to special regard: the Welsh approach to climate justice and nature recovery
In this episode, Kate Cook discusses the distinctive and in many ways groundbreaking approach to climate justice adopted in Wales/Cymru. Her guest is the leading campaigner Ruth Chambers OBE, senior fellow of Green Alliance and honorary professor of practice at UCL's Centre for law and the environment as well as adviser to other organisations including River Action UK and the RSPB. Ruth is widely
A Common Concern: The Climate Justice Podcast - All at Sea? Navigating challenges to the protection of the marine environment from climate change
In this episode, Kate Cook is joined by two guest experts both directly involved in securing greater protection of the marine environment from the impacts of climate change, Gareth Cunningham, the Director for Conservation Policy at the Marine Conservation Society and Dr. Sian Prior, Director of Shipping Policy for the Brussels-based organisation Seas at Risk. Together they discuss ocean acidifica
ESG: Global - The new Office of Responsible Business Conduct
Jamas Hodivala KC discusses with Sam McCahon, Joint Head of Disputes Team at ORBC, the UK National Contact Point's re-branding, historic concerns about its independence, its new links with UK Export Finance, and its increasingly significant role in handling complaints about compliance with the OECD Guidelines."
ESG: Global – From SLBs to AML: Innovative Challenges to Misleading Sustainability Claims
In the latest episode of ESG: Global, Florence Iveson speaks with Alexander Wijeratna of Mighty Earth. Together, they discuss the organisation’s groundbreaking legal strategies aimed at confronting the environmental and human rights impacts of industrial agriculture. They discuss whistleblower complaints over JBS’s sustainability linked bonds, legal challenges to its stock exchange listing, and ne
ESG: Global - Mining for Net Zero Minerals and its Social and Environmental Impact
Samantha Knights KC talks to Mutuso Dhliwayo, Executive Director of the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Organisation and Octavio Ferraz, Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Transnational Law Institute at King’s College London about the social, economic and environmental impacts of lithium mining in Zimbabwe and bauxite mining in the Amazon as paradigm examples of the consequences of mining for rare
ESG: Global – Corruption Risks in the Net Zero Transition
In the latest episode of the ESG Global podcast, Jim Robottom speaks with James Bolton Jones from Spotlight on Corruption about the corruption risks emerging in the global transition to net zero. They explore the role of UK anti corruption law, critical mineral supply chains, climate finance transparency, and Spotlight’s forthcoming manifesto on ensuring integrity in the climate transition.
ESG: Global - Forced Labour Due Diligence
As pressure builds on companies to conduct increased forced labour due diligence on their supply chains, Jamas Hodivala KC explores some of the practical issues that can arise with Kate Larsen, Director at SupplyESChange.
A Common Concern: The Climate Justice Podcast - Essential, fundamental and deliverable: The Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment
In this episode of A Common Concern, we discuss the meaning, scope and application of the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. This right has been recognised by the UN General Assembly and endorsed by the International Court of Justice and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. Kate Cook is joined by environmental and human rights expert and former Head of Legal at Frien
ESG: Global - Regulating for a Sustainable Future - Cross-Sector Insights
In this episode, Suzanne Rab explores how ESG considerations are reshaping regulation across UK network and utility sectors. As ESG rises in prominence in energy, water, transport, telecoms and financial services, regulators face an increasingly complex balancing act: ensuring resilience and fairness while maintaining affordability and driving long-term sustainability. The discussion highlights h
ESG: Global – The role of NGOs in corporate forced labour due diligence
In this episode, Jamas Hodivala KC discusses with Nick Dale (former Superintendent at West Midlands Police and now Director of Intelligence at Stop the Traffik) and Sian Lea (Head of UK and European Advocacy at Anti-Slavery International) the role of Governments, companies and NGOs when conducting forced labour due diligence in supply chains.
ESG: Global - Climate Finance: Investing in our Future
In this second episode of Season 2 of the ESG: Global podcast, Jamas Hodivala KC celebrates the 10th anniversary of Mark Carney’s “Tragedy of the Horizon” speech with his guest Dr Ben Caldecott, a sustainable finance expert.
They discuss the origins of the speech, the adequacy of leadership regarding climate-related investment, the supervisory role of the Bank of England in climate-related financ
A Common Concern: The Climate Justice Podcast – Another world is feasible: the just, orderly and equitable transition away from fossil fuels
In this episode of A Common Concern, Kate Cook talks to Greg Muttitt, Honorary Research Fellow at UCL and Senior Associate at the International Institute for Sustainable Development. Pushing back on current 'necessitarian' arguments against the phase out of fossil fuels, they explore what transition would look like. What are the comparative costs of transition versus retaining fossil fuels and wha
ESG: Global - Is your pension helping climate change?
In this first episode of Season 2 of the ESG: Global podcast, Jamas Hodivala KC looks back a the 10 year anniversary of Mark Carney’s "Tragedy of the Horizon" speech, which considered the links between climate change and financial stability. His guest, Professor Iain Clacher, is a pensions expert and they discuss the effects of the speech on the pensions sector, including exploring the role that l
A Common Concern: The Climate Justice Podcast - Time and tide... the escalating injustice of the loss and damage gap
In this episode of A Common Concern, Kate Cook speaks to Dr Patrick Toussaint of African Futures Lab about the international legal response to climate related loss and damage. Kate and Patrick discuss the climate regime's Loss and Damage Fund and Warsaw International Mechanism, climate reparations and their connection to racial and postcolonial justice and the implications of the ICJ's Advisory Op
A Common Concern: The Climate Justice Podcast - The ICJ Opinion: Legal coherence in the face of climate breakdown
In this episode Florence Iveson discusses the implications of the International Court of Justice's much anticipated Advisory Opinion on Climate Change with Kate Cook and Toby Fisher. Their wide-ranging discussion looks at issues including the role of the temperature goal in the climate regime, the limited discretion in relation to NDCs and what we now know about state responsibility, and what stil
A Common Concern: The Climate Justice Podcast – Climate Protest
In this episode, Emma Foubister discusses the right to peaceful protest in the context of climate change and climate protests with Carol Day and Anirudh Mathur.
A Common Concern: The Climate Justice Podcast – Smoke and Mirrors Part 2
In Part 2 of "Smoke and Mirrors: Geoengineering and International Law", Kate Cook and Mary Church of CIEL look more closely at the legal implications of these technologies including current international restrictions on their deployment, adopted under a number of different treaty regimes, as well as the implications of human rights law and the climate regime.
A Common Concern: The Climate Justice Podcast – Smoke and Mirrors: Geoengineering and International Law Part 1
Advocates of geoengineering claim that these technologies provide a potential solution to climate change, but many question their feasibility and harmful impacts and see them simply as a means to prolong the life of the fossil fuel industry. This two part episode looks at the evidence and the law in relation to geoengineering. In the first part of this episode, Kate Cook and Mary Church of CIEL di
A Common Concern: The Climate Justice Podcast - Climate Displacement and the Law: Legal Limits, Barriers and Solutions
Climate related displacement is already occurring and likely to increase significantly in the next few decades. In this episode of A Common Concern: the Climate Justice Podcast, Kate Cook is joined by Alex Randall, founder of the Climate and Migration Coalition and by Raza Husain KC and Sam Knights KC from Matrix to discuss current legal protections under international refugee, climate and human r
A Common Concern: The Climate Justice Podcast - Climate Crimes
In episode 4of A Common Concern: The Climate Justice Podcast, Emma Foubister discusses the role of criminal law in the context of climate impacts on human health and life with Florence Iveson and Professor Cindy Cho.
A Common Concern: The Climate Justice Podcast - Workers’ Rights and Climate Change
In this episode of A Common Concern: The Climate Justice Podcast, Kate Cook discusses workers’ rights and climate change with Kalina Arabadjieva of the European Trade Union Institute.
From the principles and standards of the International Labour Organisation to the provisions of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, from the rules of the EU Green Deal to the three pillars of the Aarhus Conventio
ESG: Global - The CSDDD: an Omnibust?
In this episode, Florence Iveson discusses the Omnibus Proposal issued by the European Commission on 26 February 2025 with business and human rights experts Olivia Windham Stewart and Daniel Schonfelder. The episode provides first takes on 5 of the major changes to the CSDDD that have been proposed by the Commission and on the next stages to any amendment process.
A Common Concern: The Climate Justice Podcast - Global comparisons: the US and the UK
In this week's episode Helen Mountfield KC discusses recent legal developments in the US and the UK with Professor Jonathan Marks and David Wolfe KC. Discussion ranges from US cases on the right to a clean and healthy environment, to the legal implications of a new Executive Order on Unleashing American Energy. Across the Atlantic, we hear about recent judicial reviews scrutinising delivery of car
A Common Concern: The Climate Justice Podcast - Tipping Points, Cascades and the Law
In A Common Concern, the Climate Justice Podcast we will be looking at the ways in which the law can, or might, address the urgent threat posed by climate change. We will look at the protection of the rights of those most impacted, including displaced people, workers and those most vulnerable due to current levels of poverty. We will also consider legal developments in other jurisdictions around t
ESG: Global - Is the ASA’s approach to greenwashing sustainable?
In this episode, Jamas Hodivala KC discusses with Giles Crown, Partner at Taylor Wessing, greenwashing in marketing claims and current consumer protection legislation applying to such claims. They examine the recent Advertising Standards Authority's decision in Virgin Atlantic Ltd. and discuss key takeaways for businesses looking to advertise their green credentials, before looking at impending ch
ESG: Global - Hide and Seek
In this episode, Jamas Hodivala KC discusses with Laura Middleton the results of PWC’s first survey into where businesses see their ESG fraud and misconduct risks, and where this overlaps with its annual Economic Crime Survey. They also consider PWC’s ESG Fraud taxonomy and whether the survey results evidence that companies are currently identifying the relevant risks.
ESG: Global - What’s Your Beef?
In this podcast, Jamas Hodivala KC discusses with his guests Théa Bounfour and Jean-Philippe Fogle a money laundering complaint filed with prosecutors by the French NGO, Sherpa, alleging that banks are laundering the proceeds of environmental crimes committed by large Brazilian cattle companies.
The Rwanda Bill – even worse than you thought
As the Safety of Rwanda Bill returns to Parliament, Helen Mountfield, Murray Hunt and Richard Hermer discuss the myriad ways it breaches international law and undermines the rule of law.
Israel Gaza – a basic guide to the Laws of War
How do we begin to understand the events in both Israel and Gaza from a legal perspective? In this short podcast Richard Hermer KC talks to Professor Andrew Clapham about the relevant international law framework
Existential Threats – AI, law and humanity
In Season 2 Episode 4 of the Matrix Pod: The Rule of Law, Richard Hermer KC, Zoe McCallum and Dr Tim Lillicrap (Research Director at Google DeepMind) discuss Artificial Intelligence and the future of law and humanity.
This episode examines fast-moving developments in Artificial Intelligence technology, “the existential threat” that AI is said to generate and its implications for the rule of law. T
Protest: The Public Order Act 2023
Richard Hermer KC, Jessica Jones and Martha Spurrier (Director at Liberty) discuss the new Public Order Act 2023.
The episode analyses the legislation including its connection to the recent Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 and what the new Act means for trust in policing - seen within the context of the current problems faced by the Met Police.
Protest, Democracy and the Rule of Law – what is going down in Israel?
This episode examines the events unfolding in Israel over the past weeks in which tens of thousands of citizens have taken to the streets to protest against legislation designed to increase governmental control over the appointment of judges and to limit the powers of the judiciary.
An Unlawful Act - Braverman’s Illegal Migration Bill
Richard Hermer KC speaks with Raza Husain KC (Matrix Chambers) and Sile Reynolds (Freedom from Torture) about the pressing Migration Bill being pushed through UK Parliament.
The bill is designed to deter refugees arriving into the UK on small boats. Richard, Raza and Sile discuss the role of the courts and whether the bill can be overruled by the ECHR or the Refugee Convention.
Colonialism - Its Legacy and the Law
Richard Hermer KC and Helen Mountfield KC discuss colonialism and the rule of law with Professor Caroline Elkins.
They explore how law can be used as a weapon and how it might be utilised to seek redress and accountability.
Boris Johnson and the Rule of Law
Richard Hermer QC, Helen Mountfield QC, Murray Hunt and Adam Wagner dissect the last three years of rule under Boris Johnson. How has it fared, what have been the points of concern and what should the new leader do to restore any damage done?
Later this year, Adam’s will publish his latest book “Emergency State” which will exam examining how, from a rule of law perspective, the country’s resp
Roe v Wade - Endgame?
Roe v Wade - Endgame? by Matrix Chambers
The Laws of War – A Guide
The Laws of War – A Guide by Matrix Chambers
The Rules of War
The Rules of War by Matrix Chambers
Russia:Ukraine – What’s law got to do with it?
Richard Hermer QC and Professor Andrew Clapham discuss the current crisis occurring on the Russia Ukraine border including the international legal obligations to offer assistance should a threat be recognised.
For those interested in learning more about the legal framework governing war, we recommend Andrew’s latest book “War”.
The Liquidation Of Memorial Putin's War On Human Rights
Richard Hermer QC and Helen Mountfield QC talk to Tatiana Glushkova, member of the Council of Memorial Human Rights Centre, and Jess Gavron, the Legal Director at European Human Rights Advocacy Centre regarding the recent events in Russia and the wider context of the rule of law. Many would agree that our global judiciaries should remain apolitical however in many authoritarian states there have b
The Elections Bill - how worried should we be?
The Elections Bill - how worried should we be? by Matrix Chambers
Lord Neuberger and the Rule of Law
This week, we speak to Lord David Neuberger about the rule of law and the role of courts and judges. Together with Helen Mountfield QC and Murray Hunt, Richard Hermer asks what are the essential ingredients that determine whether a judicial system is able, or willing, to protect the rule of law and fundamental rights? What role, if any, have judges to play when the rule of law is at risk and what
Ripping Up the Refugee Convention
Richard Hermer QC speaks to fellow Matrix barrister Raza Husain QC and Sile Reynolds the Lead Asylum Policy Advisor at Freedom from Torture about the Nationality and Borders Bill currently being steered through Parliament by the Home Secretary, Pritti Patel. The Bill, at least on its face, appears to be a radical redrawing of domestic law application of our commitments under the Refugee Convention
Afghanistan in crisis: what should the UK and international community be doing?
This week Samantha Knights QC talks to Rahela Sidiqi, Director of the Farkhunda Trust, and Michael Ryder CMG, CEO of the Royal Society of Asian Affairs, about the current situation in Afghanistan. Together they explore what should and can be done to provide practical assistance for Afghans whose lives are in mortal danger, and what the recent Taliban takeover means for the future of the country.
Free speech, protest and politics in Russia
This week Samantha Knights QC is joined by Masha Karp and Owen Matthews to speak about curbs on free expression, protest, political opposition and together they look at what is happening right now in Russia.
Masha is a London-based freelance journalist and writer, trustee of Rights in Russia and for many years she worked with the BBC Russian Service, Radio 4 and the BBC World Service.
Owen Mat
Violence Against Women in the US and UK: Looking at the Law
Karon Monaghan QC and Professor Carrie Bettinger-Lopez, University of Miami School of Law join Samantha Knights QC to talk about violence against women in both the US and UK. Together they explore what has happened over the past year during the pandemic, gaps in policy and practice, reform and the new domestic abuse act in the UK, and the scope of the duty on police to protect victims of domestic
Gaza - An International Law Perspective
This week’s episode focuses on Gaza and the current conflict in the region from an international law perspective. Richard Hermer QC speaks to Professor Andrew Clapham, to provide an overview of the legal framework that governs not only the current hostilities but the overall legal context of the conflict between Israeli and Palestinian people.
India
This week the Matrix Law Pod returns to India to speak with Colin Gonsalves, a prominent human rights lawyer, focusing not only on the emergency on the ground but the impact on the rule of law. Together with Richard Hermer QC and Helen Mountfield QC, they explore what role the courts have had to play in ensuring that the state acts to protect the life and health of its population, the response of
The Verdict – Chauvin, Race & Policing
Following the verdict in the George Floyd court case in the USA, Richard Hermer QC and Helen Mountfield QC speak with Prof. Craig Futterman, a Professor at the University of Chicago and the founder of the Civil Rights and Police Accountability Project of the Mandel Legal Aid Clinic, and Raju Bhatt, a leading civil rights lawyer in the UK and a founding member of the Police Action Lawyer Group. Lis
Hostile Environment
The Matrix Law Pod is back for a third season. This week Samantha Knights QC and Raza Husain QC are joined by Maya Goodfellow, author of 'Hostile Environments: How Immigrants Became Scapegoats'. Together they cover the history and origins of Hostile Environment, the broad consensus between Conservative and Labour parties on being tough on immigration, the Windrush scandal and the limits of the Co
Women, War And International Law
This week Samantha Knights QC is joined by Christina Lamb OBE (Chief Foreign Correspondent of Sunday Times) and Caroline Buisman (International Criminal Defence and Human Rights Lawyer at Stapert Advocaten). Based on Christina Lamb's new book 'Our Bodies Their Battlefield: What War Does to Women', together they discuss how and why in modern warfare rape is used by combatants as a weapon of war, w
Law Makers, Law Breakers: the Covid-19 pandemic and the rule of law
This week's podcast follows a panel discussion event organised by Hickman and Rose and Matrix Chambers. Since the virus arrived in the UK in February the Government has introduced a number of new criminal offences seeking to ensure compliance with its public health policies. Listen to our panel of the UK’s leading legal and political minds as they discuss the true impact of the Government’s legal
Build Back Better – Lisa Nandy On The US Elections And Beyond
This week Richard Hermer QC, Murray Hunt and Helen Mountfield QC speak to Lisa Nandy, Labour MP for Wigan. Listen as they discuss topics including the results of the US election, the UK’s international reputation and influence, when it is appropriate for the UK to intervene militarily overseas to prevent crimes against humanity and much more.
RBG To ACB With David Cole
The US presidential election is fast approaching and the result could have wide-reaching consequences, not only for the citizens of the US but for all of us. Topics relating to the future of climate change action, the international legal order, the promotion of international human rights, press freedom and indeed the future of truth and decency in public discourse are all on the table.
This wee
Groundhog Day - The Rule Of Law Under Attack - Matrix Pod Is Back
Join Richard Hermer QC, Helen Mountfield QC and Murray Hunt for the first episode of season two this week, in which they discuss the rising ‘R’ rate; rights restrictions imposed without Parliamentary oversight; the government seeking to pass legislation in violation of international law obligations; judicial review under review and the death of one of the great liberal jurists in America.
This e
The Magnitsky Method – Hitting Human Rights Abusers Where it Hurts
This week we are joined by Bill Browder, the driving force behind the Magnitsky Act, the legislation being adopted in countries across the globe enforcing sanctions against foreign state officials involved in grave human rights abuses and systemic corruption.
Bill is a financier by trade, and in the years spanning both sides of the turn of the millennium his business, the Hermitage Fund, was a m
Building Back Better
Do Covid, Brexit And Black Lives Matter Present A Moment Of Constitutional Opportunity For The UK?
In this week’s podcast, Murray Hunt and Helen Mountfield QC are joined by Kate O’Regan, former Justice of the Constitutional Court of South Africa, and Alan Miller, Co-Chair of the Scottish National Taskforce on Human Rights Leadership, to discuss whether the concurrent crises of Covid, Brexit and B
Past, Present, Future – Transitional Justice for Turbulent Times
This week's podcast explores some of the wider themes exemplified by the Black Lives Matter protest through the lens of transitional justice. Transitional justice is a phrase used to describe how societies once torn apart by conflicts of many sorts, can deal with past legacies and move forward, whether through truth commissions, national apologies, compensation, monuments or a range of other mecha
Death,Protest,Change:A Discussion With David Lammy MP On The Response To The Killing Of George Floyd
The brutal killing of George Floyd has led to a chain reaction in many countries not simply of protest but an increasing acknowledgement of the need to address the persistent and pervasive impact of systemic racism. This week we speak to David Lammy MP, one of the most prominent and thoughtful public figures on questions not just of the manifestations systemic racism on both sides of the Atlantic
Endgame In Hong Kong Plus More Classic Dom
This week we return to Hong Kong to examine the human rights implications as China moves to implement new national security law. We speak to Patricia Ho about the recent developments and ask, what does this mean for the rule of law in Hong Kong?
United Or Divided? The Virus And Devolution
The importance of the powers of the devolved administrations of the United Kingdom became clearer following the Prime Minister’s announcement that we were to begin relaxing the lockdown restrictions and each of the administrations adopted a slightly different approach. This week we speak to Prof Aileen McHarg, Dr Evelyn Collins CBE and Prof Daniel Wincott about the differing responses to the vir
The State of the Union – Trump, the virus and the American way
In this week's podcast, we speak to Professor David Cole, Legal Director of the American Civil Liberties Union, about human rights and the rule of law in the USA. We examine the USA's response to the Covid crisis and what it tells us, not simply about the strength of the rule of law there but what the consequences of the US experience might be for the rest of us and the international legal order.
Every Breath You Take – Data Tracking In The Age Of Covid - 19
This week the Matrix Law Pod addresses the human rights implications of how Governments are increasingly turning to technology, not least data tracking, to help ease us out of lockdown.
In countries such as South Korea and Taiwan, the authorities have been using location data from peoples phones to identify all those who have been in the close vicinity of a person diagnosed with Covid in order th
Unequal Impact: Race, Gender and Poverty in Times of Crisis
This week we speak to Afua Hirsch and Martha Spurrier about the impact on existing inequalities within our society, most particularly race, gender and poverty, in times of crisis. It is becomingly increasingly clear that whilst the coronavirus itself does not discriminate, its effect does and is cruelly amplifying existing inequalities.
Afua is a barrister and well known author, journalist and br
The Sound Of Silence: The Vacuum In International Leadership
The Sound Of Silence: The Vacuum In International Leadership And Its Impact On The World’s Poorest
This week we are continuing to look at the international response to the coronavirus crisis but turning from examining the impact on wealthy, albeit troubled nations, to those toward the bottom end of the economic scale or at least in which a significant proportion of populations live in extreme pov
Power Grabs – Covid Across The Globe
This week's podcast focuses on how other countries are reacting and in particular how regimes governed by populist governments are coping. Richard Hermer QC, Phillippa Kaufmann QC and Murray Hunt are joined by human rights activists from around the world to discuss the situation in Hungary, Israel and the OPT, and Hong Kong.
Public Emergencies And The Rule Of Law
Launching with ‘Public Emergencies and the Rule of Law’, Phillippa Kaufmann QC, Murray Hunt and Richard Hermer QC will discuss the UK’s approach to the Covid Crisis including whether all the government's measures are lawful and whether human rights are being sufficiently protected.
