'Superb... authoritative, thoughtful and terrifying in equal measure', The Secret Barrister

'Astonishing. Detailed, dispassionate and definitive. An urgent warning and work of major importance', James O'Brien

0n 26 March 2020, a new law appeared. In eleven pages it locked down tens of millions of people, confined us to our homes, banned socialising, closed shops, gyms, pubs, places of worship. It restricted our freedoms more than any other law in history, justified by the rapid spread of a deadly new virus.

You may have expected such a law to be fiercely debated in Parliament. But it wasn't debated at all. A state of emergency was declared, meaning the law came into force the moment it was signed. The emergency was supposed to be short but lasted for 763 days, allowing ministers to bring in, by decree over 100 new laws restricting freedoms more than any in history - laws that were almost never debated, changed at a whim and increasingly confused the public. Meanwhile, behind the doors of Downing Street, officials and even the Prime Minister broke the very laws they had created.

This book tells the startling story of the state of emergency that brought about an Emergency State. A wake-up call from one of the UK's leading human rights barristers, Emergency State shows us why we must never take our rights for granted.

'A riveting account of how our democracy was put under threat during the Pandemic and why we must never let the Emergency State - all-powerful but ignorant and corrupt - take over again', Lady Hale, former President of the UK Supreme Court

'Clear-eyed, forensic and compelling, Wagner sets out what happened during the Covid-19 pandemic - and the lessons we need to learn', Jonathan Freedland, author of The Escape Artist

About the Author

Adam Wagner is one of the UK's leading human rights barristers and the country'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 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 of London. He practises from Doughty Street Chambers.

Reviews
Superb... authoritative, thoughtful and terrifying in equal measure * The Secret Barrister *
A riveting account of how our democracy was put under threat during the Pandemic and why we must never let the Emergency State - all-powerful but ignorant and corrupt - take over again * Lady Hale, former President of the UK Supreme Court *
A wake-up call for citizens to be more alert to measures ... that seek to undermine democracy * The Times, *Best Law Books of 2022* *
A vital contribution to a debate we need to have * Financial Times *
Piercing and profoundly troubling, this is a journey to the heart of the pandemic and the great British struggle to balance the well-being of the individual and the group. A tale of rights and misdemeanours, told with a passion of power and forensic precision * Philippe Sands, author of East West Street *
Absolutely invaluable. Adam Wagner has been an indispensable guide and this is a gripping, important, definitive book * Dr Xand van Tulleken *
Emergency State demonstrates why Adam Wagner rapidly became the indispensable authority on the unprecedented restrictions on liberty that accompanied the Covid-19 pandemic. Clear-eyed, forensic and compelling, it sets out what happened - and the urgent lessons we need to learn * Jonathan Freedland, author of The Escape Artist *
At times, Emergency State reads like a dystopian novel with a dramatic plot twist - those who wrote these draconian laws failed to follow them. The law expert who kept the receipts, Adam Wagner has written the definitive account of a unique moment in legal history * Susanna Reid *
Astonishing. Detailed, dispassionate and definitive. An urgent warning and a work of major importance * James O'Brien *
Fascinating. An invaluable service to historians of the pandemic, and a passionate and compelling argument for the rule of law * Baron Danny Finkelstein *
A brilliant analysis of law and politics over the two years in which Britain became a virtual police state * Geoffrey Robertson QC *
The service Adam did for the country and continues to do on these pages shows the brilliant nuance and proportionate review of our right to life versus the Public Health Act and some of the outrageous overreaches of power committed by the police and the sitting government. It is as gripping as a Michael Crichton novel; but more disturbing because we collectively survived the events discussed with only some of our core human rights left intact. * Jamie Klingler, co-founder of #ReclaimTheseStreets *
This book is the definitive legal guide to the law of the pandemic and will serve as an important historical account of this dark and challenging period in our history * Law Society's Gazette *
Adam Wagner is a masterly guide to the interaction of law, politics and culture. Anyone with an interest in freedom - and what is happening to it - should read this truly brilliant account of the pandemic and its long term consequences * Matthew d'Ancona *
A book that needed to be written - and nobody could have done it better * Joshua Rozenberg *
[An] invaluable new book * Jewish Chronicle *
[Wagner's] rare learning is skilfully deployed in this book * Literary Review *
A brilliant and necessary book about the legal mechanism and human rights hangover of lockdown * Financial Times *
Interesting and important ... Wagner is a fierce and effective critic * Jonathan Sumption, Daily Telegraph *
Anyone with an interest in the maintenance of good governance in a time of emergency will find much to ponder * Prospect *
Here, barrister Adam Wagner's emphasis is on the drastic impact lockdown had on our personal liberty and I hope some of his conclusion will be considered by government in the awful event of another such crisis occurring * Jewish Chronicle, *Non-Fiction of the Year* *
'A pithy survey and review for non-lawyers of the two-year period when - but for the brief hiatus coming out of the first lockdown - virtually every aspect of the public's behaviour was indeed the subject of the criminal law ... Emergency State is a stress test for liberal democracy and human rights' * Counsel *
An informative and important opening step towards what must become a global debate as to how th eworld should respond to future pandemics of the internet age * Charles Holland, Counsel *
A brilliant analysis... Emergency State is a wake-up call that reaches far beyond Covid. It identifies the toxic mix of factors that are eroding liberty in Britain as we speak * Morning Star *
A brillliant analysis of how Covid was used to erode civil liberaties and sideline Parliament ... Emergency State is a wake-up call that reaches far beyond Covid. It identifies the toxic mix of factors that are eroding liberty in Britain as we speak. * Morning Star *



Book Information
ISBN 9781847927460
Author Adam Wagner
Format Paperback
Page Count 240
Imprint The Bodley Head Ltd
Publisher Vintage Publishing
Weight(grams) 240g
Dimensions(mm) 216mm * 135mm * 18mm