Shamima Begum - Sun In The Dock

As those who look in regularly on Zelo Street will know, the Court of Appeal found earlier this month that Shamima Begum, who had effectively been rendered stateless after leaving the UK for the Middle East, should be allowed to return so she could contest the decision to revoke her British citizenship. There was also a blatant leaking of the judgment by those working in the service of the Super Soaraway Currant Bun.

This leak was in turn put before Mohammed Akunjee, who has represented Ms Begum’s family members, by the odious flannelled fool Master Harry Cole, then, apparently, still at the Mail on Sunday, but in line to replace the non-bullying Tom Newton Dunn as political editor of the Sun. It looked very much like an invitation to Akunjee to commit contempt of court. As a result, the invitation was declined. And the Sun article promptly vanished.

Unfortunately for Master Cole, Akunjee committed the exchange of messages between the two of them to Twitter, so the whole world could see the extent of the pretend journalist’s idiocy. As Cole had also referred to Zelo Street as a “mad blog” and “bollox”, this guaranteed his appearance here. And, my goodness, is he sore about that? [Yes - Ed.]

But that was not the end of the matter: today, as BBC Home Affairs Correspondent Daniel Sandford has told, “The government has been given permission to appeal to the Supreme Court in the case of Shamima Begum … Lady Justice King, Lord Justice Flaux, and Lord Justice Singh who ruled against the government earlier this month said there were points of public law that the Supreme Court should decide on, and the case should be heard ‘as soon as reasonably practicable’”. But what about the leak?

Ah well. “The High Court judges have referred The Sun to the Attorney General for (briefly) publishing a leak of their earlier judgment. The remote hearing in the Administrative Court this morning heard that the government is conducting an internal inquiry into how the leak happened”. That’s most interesting. I do hope Master Cole takes notice.

Because, whatever his protestations, that exchange with Mohammed Akunjee identified him as someone working at the Sun, whether he had taken up the political editor’s role or not. In any case, the MoS would hardly have been interested in a story that had a very short shelf life - and was being broken between Wednesday night and Thursday morning,

Perhaps he believes that, with the horrendously clueless Suella Braverman in charge at the Attorney General’s office, and the Government in hock to its press pals, any leak inquiry will apply the appropriate coat of whitewash and nothing will prevent his being able to score More And Bigger Paycheques For The Benefit Of Himself Personally Now.

But as Mohammed Akunjee might take a different view - that exchange of messages is still live on Twitter as I type - Cole’s optimism may be sadly misplaced. One can only wonder what Rebekah Brooks will make of it all. Apart from giving someone a noisy bollocking.

So bring on the leak inquiry. I’m sure it will make for capital entertainment.

Enjoy your visit to Zelo Street? You can help this truly independent blog carry on talking truth to power, while retaining its sense of humour, by adding to its Just Giving page at

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/zelostreet6