<P> Baroness Hale said the following . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Td> "</Td> <Td> 52 . I confess that I would have liked to be able to uphold the decision (if not every aspect of the reasoning) of the Divisional Court . It is extremely distasteful that an independent public official should feel himself obliged to give way to threats of any sort . The Director clearly felt the same for he resisted the extreme pressure under which he was put for as long as he could . The great British public may still believe that it was the risk to British commercial interests which caused him to give way, but the evidence is quite clear that this was not so . He only gave way when he was convinced that the threat of withdrawal of Saudi security co-operation was real and that the consequences would be an equally real risk to "British lives on British streets". The only question is whether it was lawful for him to take this into account . <P> 53 . Put like that, it is difficult to reach any other conclusion than that it was indeed lawful for him to take this into account . But it is not quite as simple as that...</P> <P> 54...Eventually, he has to rely on the assurances of others that despite their best endeavours the threats are real and the risks are real . </P> <P> 55...He had to weigh the seriousness of the risk, in every sense, against the other public interest considerations . These include the importance of upholding the rule of law and the principle that no - one, including powerful British companies who do business for powerful foreign countries, is above the law . </P> <P> (...) </P> <P> 57 . For these reasons, although I would wish that the world were a better place where honest and conscientious public servants were not put in impossible situations such as this, I agree that his decision was lawful and this appeal must be allowed . </P> </Td> <Td>" </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> "</Td> <Td> 52 . I confess that I would have liked to be able to uphold the decision (if not every aspect of the reasoning) of the Divisional Court . It is extremely distasteful that an independent public official should feel himself obliged to give way to threats of any sort . The Director clearly felt the same for he resisted the extreme pressure under which he was put for as long as he could . The great British public may still believe that it was the risk to British commercial interests which caused him to give way, but the evidence is quite clear that this was not so . He only gave way when he was convinced that the threat of withdrawal of Saudi security co-operation was real and that the consequences would be an equally real risk to "British lives on British streets". The only question is whether it was lawful for him to take this into account . <P> 53 . Put like that, it is difficult to reach any other conclusion than that it was indeed lawful for him to take this into account . But it is not quite as simple as that...</P> <P> 54...Eventually, he has to rely on the assurances of others that despite their best endeavours the threats are real and the risks are real . </P> <P> 55...He had to weigh the seriousness of the risk, in every sense, against the other public interest considerations . These include the importance of upholding the rule of law and the principle that no - one, including powerful British companies who do business for powerful foreign countries, is above the law . </P> <P> (...) </P> <P> 57 . For these reasons, although I would wish that the world were a better place where honest and conscientious public servants were not put in impossible situations such as this, I agree that his decision was lawful and this appeal must be allowed . </P> </Td> <Td>" </Td> </Tr> <P> 53 . Put like that, it is difficult to reach any other conclusion than that it was indeed lawful for him to take this into account . But it is not quite as simple as that...</P>

R (corner house research) v director of the serious fraud office