CND founder’s son who’s backed terrorism suspects

MR Justice Collins, the son of a radical Church of England cleric who helped found the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, is the longest-serving High Court judge.

He was promoted to the High Court bench in 1994, and has developed a reputation as a judge who is not afraid to overturn government policies and upset ministers.

His High Court career has lasted so long that he has avoided the rule that senior judges must retire at the age of 70. Because he was appointed before 1995, he does not need to stand down until he reaches the age of 75.

Mr Justice Collins attains that landmark next month, and the Benefit Cap judgment may be his last major case.

During his career Sir Andrew Collins has at least twice blocked government asylum policy, giving rulings which have prevented reduction in asylum seeker benefits or hindered detention. He has found in favour of suspected terrorists on at least two occasions.

He has also made rulings that forced Britain to pay £100million in compensation to Spanish fishermen and interrupted ministers’ efforts to limit the availability of Viagra on the NHS.

His father was Canon John Collins, once described by Winston Churchill as ‘either a fool or a communist’, who was the founder in the 1950s of CND and led it for six years. Andrew followed a conventional path from Eton to King’s College, Cambridge and the Bar. He has admitted that his father used his influence to help him get his first job in a barristers’ chambers.

His career as a barrister developed through the 1980s in the rapidly expanding field of judicial review. He represented government departments as well as supporters of the Militant Tendency.