Schvidler v Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs and Dalston Projects Ltd and others v Secretary of State for Transport [2025] UKSC 30
The Supreme Court’s judgment in the joined cases of Schvidler v Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs and Dalston Projects Ltd and others v Secretary of State for Transport [2025] UKSC 30 is extraordinary. As will be argued in this blogpost, not only is the majority’s decision in respect of Mr Schvidler wrong in principle it is also self-inconsistent and incoherent. It is argued that the Schvidler is a dark chapter in the UK’s constitutional history. The most worrying aspect of the judgment is that it is given in the name of human rights and the respect of international law. Quite plainly, Mr Schvidler has been sacrificed by the Supreme Court (with Lord Leggatt strongly dissenting on Schvidler’s case) for the “greater good”. Schvidler is reportedly a billionaire. Born in Russia but a citizen of the UK and the USA, he has not lived in Russia for many years. He maintains an apparently close friendship with Roman Abramovic, the former owner of Chelsea F...
