Dr Ben Stanford
School of Law
Faculty of Business and Law
Email: B.J.Stanford@ljmu.ac.uk
Telephone: 0151 904 6940
ORCID
Ben specialises in matters of public law and human rights. His current research focuses on political rights, democracy and accountability. He has published widely in these areas in journals such as Public Law and the European Human Rights Law Review. Ben is a joint Editor-in-Chief for ‘The Asian Yearbook of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law’. Ben was the Co-Lead for the Law School's successful application for an Athena SWAN bronze award in December 2024. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has previously acted as LLB course director, led student field trips to The Netherlands, and co-ordinated Erasmus exchange programmes. He has acted as an independent election observer accredited by the Electoral Commission in 2018, 2023 and 2024 for the General Election. In August 2021 he was appointed by the Ministry of Justice as a Lay Observer to monitor the welfare of people held in court custody. Ben also has some experience in the third sector, having worked for Peace Brigades International (UK), Rights Watch (UK) and the Human Rights Lawyers Association.
Degrees
2017, University of Bedfordshire, United Kingdom, PhD
2013, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, LLM
2012, Lancaster University, United Kingdom, LLB
Certifications
2019, Higher Education Academy, Fellow
2019, National Co-Ordinating Centre for Public Engagement, Engage Researchers’ Academy
Highlighted publications
Stanford B. 2024. The Past, Present and Future of Voter ID in Great Britain – Voter Turnout, Rejection and Confidence Liverpool Law Review: a journal of contemporary legal issues, DOI Publisher Url Public Url
Stanford B. 2024. Who Watches the Watchmen? Independent Observers, Constitutional Principles and Democratic Accountability The Asian Yearbook of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, 8 :79-108 Publisher Url
Stanford B. 2024. Dealing with the bad apples: The Recall of MPs Act 2015 Public Law, 2024 :581-590 Publisher Url Public Url
Stanford B, Pasculli L. 2022. Form and Flexibility: The Normalisation of ‘Magnitsky Sanctions’ in the Face of the Rule of Law Hague Journal on the Rule of Law, DOI Publisher Url Public Url
Stanford B, Foster S, Berdud CE. 2021. Global Pandemic, Security and Human Rights Comparative Explorations of Covid-19 and the Law Routledge 9781032010250
Stanford B. 2020. Power to the People! Public Spaces Protection Orders and the Devolution of the Preventive State Public Law, 2020 :719-739
Stanford B. 2018. The 2018 English Local Elections ID Pilots and the Right to Vote: A Vote of (no) Confidence? European Human Rights Law Review, :600-613
Stanford B. 2018. The multi-faceted challenges to free speech in higher education: frustrating the rights of political participation on campus Public Law, 2018 :708-724
Stanford B. 2018. Compulsory Voter Identification, Disenfranchisement and Human Rights: Electoral Reform in Great Britain European Human Rights Law Review, 23 :57-66
Other
Stanford B. 2025. Written Evidence to Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee: Review of the 2024 general election Publisher Url
Stanford B. 2024. Written Evidence to Joint Committee on Human Rights, Inquiry: The role of human rights in the UK democratic process Publisher Url
Stanford B. 2022. No ID? No vote! Voter ID comes to Great Britain LSE Politics and Public Policy Blog, Publisher Url Public Url
Stanford B. 2021. Written Evidence to Joint Committee on Human Rights, Inquiry: Freedom of Expression, (21 September 2021) Publisher Url
Stanford B. 2021. Written evidence to Joint Committee on Human Rights, Legislative Scrutiny: Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill Publisher Url
Stanford B. 2018. The results of the 2018 voter ID pilots and why this is not the time for a national roll-out LSE Politics and Public Policy Blog, Publisher Url
Stanford B. 2017. Voter ID plans could disenfranchise millions The Conversation, Publisher Url
Journal article
Stanford B. 2024. The Past, Present and Future of Voter ID in Great Britain – Voter Turnout, Rejection and Confidence Liverpool Law Review: a journal of contemporary legal issues, DOI Publisher Url Public Url
Stanford B. 2024. Who Watches the Watchmen? Independent Observers, Constitutional Principles and Democratic Accountability The Asian Yearbook of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, 8 :79-108 Publisher Url
Stanford B. 2024. Dealing with the bad apples: The Recall of MPs Act 2015 Public Law, 2024 :581-590 Publisher Url Public Url
Stanford B. 2024. The Introduction and Implementation of Voter ID in the United Kingdom: A Project Summary LJMU Student Law Journal, 3 DOI Publisher Url Public Url
Stanford B, Pasculli L. 2023. Forma e flessibilità: la normalizzazione delle «sanzioni Magnitsky» nel rispetto della legalità negli U.S.A., in Canada, nel Regno Unito ed in Australia Diritto Penale XXI Secolo, 22 :53-96
Stanford B, Pasculli L. 2022. Form and Flexibility: The Normalisation of ‘Magnitsky Sanctions’ in the Face of the Rule of Law Hague Journal on the Rule of Law, DOI Publisher Url Public Url
Stanford B. 2022. Case Comment - R (on the application of Coughlan) v Minister for the Cabinet Office Coventry Law Journal, 27 :126-129 Publisher Url Public Url
Stanford B. 2022. The Elections Bill: the arrival of voter ID (and a whole lot more) Coventry Law Journal, 26 :41-48 Publisher Url Public Url
Stanford B. 2021. Covid in the Courts: Challenges to Lockdown Measures in the United Kingdom Coventry Law Journal, 26 :100-106 Publisher Url Public Url
Stanford B. 2021. Case Comment - Yam v United Kingdom Coventry Law Journal, 25 :127-130 Publisher Url Public Url
Stanford B. 2020. Power to the People! Public Spaces Protection Orders and the Devolution of the Preventive State Public Law, 2020 :719-739
Stanford B, Foster S. 2020. Enhancing student knowledge and skills with publishing opportunities: a case study at Coventry University Coventry Law Journal, 25 :57-65
Stanford B. 2020. Electoral Reform and the Authorisation of Voter ID Pilot Schemes Coventry Law Journal, 24 :88-94
Stanford B. 2019. Justice in Exile? The Implications of ‘Temporary Exclusion Orders’ for the Right to a Fair Trial Asian Yearbook of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, 3 :494-507 DOI Publisher Url
Stanford B. 2019. Barriers at the Ballot Box: The (In)accessibility of UK Polling Stations Coventry Law Journal, 24 :87-92
Stanford B. 2019. Case comment - R. (Salman Butt) v Secretary of State for the Home Department Coventry Law Journal, 24 :122-125
Stanford B, MacLennan S, Foster S. 2019. Case comment - Banks v Revenue and Customs Commissioners [2018] UKFTT 617 (TC) Coventry Law Journal, 23 :112-115
Stanford B. 2019. Case comment - Mehmet Hasan Altan v Turkey (13237/17); Sahin Alpay v Turkey (16538/17) Coventry Law Journal, 23 :115-119
Stanford B, MacLennan S, Foster S. 2019. Case comment - Banks v HMRC: human rights and relief for political donations British Tax Review, 64 :15-21
Stanford B. 2018. The 2018 English Local Elections ID Pilots and the Right to Vote: A Vote of (no) Confidence? European Human Rights Law Review, :600-613
Stanford B. 2018. The multi-faceted challenges to free speech in higher education: frustrating the rights of political participation on campus Public Law, 2018 :708-724
Stanford B. 2018. Case comment - Abu Zubaydah v Lithuania (46454/11) and Al Nashiri v Romania (33234/12) unreported 31 May 2018 (ECHR) Coventry Law Journal, 23 :87-90
Stanford B. 2018. Compulsory Voter Identification, Disenfranchisement and Human Rights: Electoral Reform in Great Britain European Human Rights Law Review, 23 :57-66
Stanford B, Vogelvang E. 2017. Weighing up the ICTY: The Trial of Ratko Mladic and the Future for International Criminal Justice Coventry Law Journal, 22 :58-62
Stanford B. 2017. Counter-terrorism and the Prospects of Human Rights: Securitizing Difference and Dissent (Book Review) European Human Rights Law Review, 22 :525-527
Stanford B. 2017. The Complexities of Contemporary Terrorism Trials Laid Bare Criminal Law & Justice Weekly, 181 :594-596
Stanford B. 2017. Once More Unto The Breach: The Deployment of British Soldiers Overseas and the UK’s Human Rights Obligations Coventry Law Journal, 22 :80-86
Stanford B. 2017. To Helmand and Back Criminal Law & Justice Weekly, 181 :322-324
Stanford B, Yiannaros A, Nyombi C. 2016. TTIP Negotiations in the Shadow of Human Rights and Democratic Values International Company and Commercial Law Review, 27 :316-322
Stanford B, Ahmed Y. 2016. The Prevent Strategy: The Human Rights Implications of the United Kingdom’s Counter-Radicalisation Policy Questions of International Law, 24 :35-58
Stanford B. 2015. The "War on Terror": Perpetual Emergency Edinburgh Student Law Review, 2 :1-16
Stanford B. 2015. The War on Terror and the Laws of War: A Military Perspective: Book Review Utrecht Journal of International and European Law, 31 :100-103 DOI Publisher Url
Stanford B, Borelli S. 2014. Troubled Waters in the Mare Nostrum: Interception and Push-Backs of Migrants in the Mediterranean and the European Convention on Human Rights Uluslararası Hukuk ve Politika – Review of International Law and Politics, 10 :29-69
Chapters
Stanford B, Foster S, Espaliú Berdud C. 2021. Human Rights and Security in the COVID-19 Era Stanford B, Foster S, Espaliú Berdud C. Global Pandemic, Security and Human Rights Comparative Explorations of Covid-19 and the Law Routledge 9781032010250
Li L, Foster S, Espaliú Berdud C, Stanford B. 2021. The Pandemic Crisis and its Global Legal Impact on Information Protection, Creative Economy, and Business Activities Li L, Foster S, Espaluí Berdud C, Stanford B. Global Pandemic, Technology and Business Comparative Explorations of Covid-19 and the Law Routledge 9781032010281
Li L, Foster S, Espaliú Berdud C, Stanford B. 2021. Reflections on COVID-19 Li L, Foster S, Espaliú Berdud C, Stanford B. Global Pandemic, Technology and Business Comparative Explorations of Covid-19 and the Law Routledge 9781032010281
Stanford B, Foster S. 2021. Human Rights in Times of Emergency: COVID-19 Taking the United Kingdom into Uncharted Territory Stanford B, Foster S, Espaliú Berdud C. Global Pandemic, Security and Human Rights: Comparative Explorations of COVID-19 and the Law Routledge 9781032010250 Publisher Url Public Url
Stanford B, Foster S. 2019. Enhancing Key Legal Skills and Student Engagement through an Innovative, Authentic Assessment Simmons C. Teaching and Excellence the Coventry Way Coventry University Higher Education Corporation 978-1-84600-092-8 Publisher Url Public Url
Stanford B. The Restraint, Reassertion and Realities of Parliamentary Sovereignty: Reassessing the United Kingdom’s Post-Brexit Constitutional Identity Guinchard E, Panara C. The New Relationship between the UK and the EU Springer Publisher Url Public Url
Stanford B. Culture Wars and Constitutional Identity: The Weaponisation of Constitutional Values McGarry J. Values, Identities and Rights in a Changing Constitution Routledge
Books (authored)
Stanford B, Foster S, Berdud CE. 2021. Global Pandemic, Security and Human Rights Comparative Explorations of Covid-19 and the Law Routledge 9781032010250
Li L, Berdud CE, Foster S, Stanford B. 2021. Global Pandemic, Technology and Business Comparative Explorations of Covid-19 and the Law Routledge 9781032010281
Research Grants Awarded:
British Academy - Talent Development Award 2024/25, A Review of Electoral Administration Law: Insights and Challenges from an Electoral Administrator's Perspective, Grant value (£): 3,983. 2024
Society of Legal Scholars - Research Activities Fund, Compulsory Voter Identification, Grant value (£): 295. 2018
Media Coverage:
Quoted on Labour Campaign for Electoral Reform (opens in a new tab) 2023
Quoted by Kirsten Oswald MP for East Renfrewshire (opens in a new tab) 2023
LJMU Corporate Communications - Research supports fears of UK voter suppression (opens in a new tab) 2023
Panel discussion on BBC Newsnight to discuss MPs cash for access scandal 2015
Other Professional Activity:
Electoral Commission: Accredited Individual Observer. Attended polling stations to conduct voter identification research and interview election officials.. 2023
Ministry of Justice / Lay Observers’ National Council: Lay Observer. Member of UK’s National Preventive Mechanism. Independent public appointee role to monitor welfare and access to justice of people being brought to court and held in custody. 2021
Electoral Commission: Accredited Individual Observer. Attended polling stations to conduct voter identification research and interview election officials.. 2018
External committees:
LLB Degree Programme - Law, Swansea University, External Examiner. 2021
BA Degree Programme - Crime, Terrorism and Global Security, Easton and Otley College (University of East Anglia affiliated), External Examiner. 2017
Editorial boards:
The Asian Yearbook of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Co Editor-in-Chief. 2018