What does the Investigatory Powers Commissioner do?
The Investigatory Powers Commissioner, The Rt. Hon. The Lord Leveson of Liverpool, has responsibility for reviewing the use of investigatory powers by public authorities, such as intelligence agencies, police and local authorities. He is supported by a team of Judicial Commissioners.
Biography
Biography
Lord Leveson replaced Sir Adrian Fulford as the Investigatory Powers Commissioner in October 2019. Before assuming this role, Lord Leveson was President of the Queen’s Bench Division (appointed in October 2013) and Head of Criminal Justice for England and Wales.
Between 2009 and 2013, Lord Leveson was the Chairman of the Sentencing Council, during which time he was appointed by the Prime Minister to chair the public Inquiry investigating the culture, practices and ethics of the press and its relationship with the public, the police and politicians. His report was published in November 2012.
In 2006, following his appointment as a Lord Justice of Appeal, Lord Leveson became Senior Presiding Judge for England and Wales. In 2000, he was appointed a Judge of the High Court, Queen’s Bench Division and served as a Presiding Judge of the Northern Circuit.
In 2024, Lord Leveson was appointed to carry out the Independent Review of the Criminal Courts, which reported its recommendation for long-term reform to the Government in 2025 and its options for court efficiencies in early 2026.
Lord Leveson is an honorary Fellow of Merton College, Oxford, and formerly served as Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University. He became a crossbench peer in the House of Lords in 2026 taking the title The Rt. Hon. The Lord Leveson of Liverpool.
Former Investigatory Powers Commissioner – Sir Adrian Fulford
The first Investigatory Powers Commissioner, Sir Adrian Fulford, was appointed by the Prime Minister in March 2017 and stepped down as IPC in 2019. Sir Adrian also served as a Judicial Commissioner between April 2020 to May 2024.