December 11, 2025

Ministry of Defence -v- Anthony Middleton (interim order for an injunction)

High Court King's Bench Division Media and Communications List Anonymity Order Order

Claim number: KB-2025-003656

In the High Court of Justice
King’s Bench Division
Media and Communications List

27 November 2025

Before:

The Honourable Mr Justice Garnham

Between:

Ministry of Defence

-v-

Anthony Middleton

Interim order for an injunction

PENAL NOTICE

IF YOU THE DEFENDANT DISOBEY THIS ORDER YOU MAY BE HELD TO BE IN CONTEMPT OF COURT AND MAY BE IMPRISONED OR FINED OR HAVE YOUR ASSETS SEIZED.

ANY PERSON WHO KNOWS OF THIS ORDER AND DISOBEYS THIS ORDER OR DOES ANYTHING WHICH HELPS OR PERMITS ANY PERSON TO WHOM THIS ORDER APPLIES TO BREACH THE TERMS OF THIS ORDER OR WHO OTHERWISE UNDERMINES OR FRUSTRATES THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THOSE TERMS MAY BE HELD TO BE IN CONTEMPT OF COURT AND MAY BE IMPRISONED, FINED OR HAVE THEIR ASSETS SEIZED.

IMPORTANT: NOTICE TO THE DEFENDANT

You should read this Order and the Master of the Rolls’ Practice Guidance (Interim Non-disclosure Orders) (Sen Cts) dated August 2011, [2012] 1 WLR 1003 very carefully. You are advised to consult a solicitor as soon as possible. This Order prohibits you, ANTHONY MIDDLETON (“the Defendant”), from doing the acts set out in paragraphs (2)-(3) below and obliges you, the Defendant, to do the acts set out in paragraph (5)-(6) below. You have the right to ask the Court to vary or discharge this Order. If you disobey this Order you may be found guilty of contempt of court and you may be fined or your assets may be seized.

IMPORTANT: NOTICE TO ANYONE WHO KNOWS OF THIS ORDER

You should read this Order and the Master of the Rolls’ Practice Guidance (Interim Non-disclosure Orders) (Sen Cts) dated August 2011, [2012] 1 WLR 1003 very carefully. You are advised to consult a solicitor as soon as possible. This Order prohibits you from doing certain acts and obliges you to do certain other acts. You have the right to ask the Court to vary or discharge this Order. If you disobey this Order you may be found guilty of contempt of court and you may be sent to prison or fined or your assets may be seized.

UPON an application by Counsel for the Claimant being made on notice to the Defendant to and heard by the Judge on 27 November 2025 and upon hearing from the Defendant in person (“the Application”, “the Judge” and “the Hearing” respectively).

AND UPON the Claimant’s Solicitor having given notice to the Defendant that the Application would be so made as set out in Schedule A to this Order.

AND UPON the Judge reading the materials relied upon by the Claimant in support of the Application referred to in Schedule B to this Order (“the Supporting Materials”) and a letter from the Defendant’s Solicitors to the Judge dated 27 November 2025.

AND UPON the Judge accepting the Claimant’s undertakings set out in Schedule C to this Order, considering the provisions of section 12 of the Human Rights Act 1998, article 10 of the ECHR and the Master of the Rolls’ Practice Guidance (Interim Non-disclosure Orders) (Sen Cts) dated August 2011 [2012] 1 WLR 1003 and being satisfied that the Claimant has taken all practicable steps to notify the Defendant and persons affected of the Application.

AND UPON the Judge considering the provisions of CPR, Part 39.2, and articles 2, 3, 6 and 8 of the ECHR and being satisfied that it is strictly necessary pursuant to the said provisions to withhold the real names and/or initials of any individual(s) falling within paragraph (9) of this Order in order to protect their interests and there being no countervailing public interest in disclosure.

AND UPON the Defendant and any person served with or notified of this Order having the right to apply to the Court on notice to vary or discharge this Order or so much of it as affects them.

IT IS ORDERED THAT:

Return date

(1) The provisions of this Order shall remain in force until varied or discharged and the Court will consider making a further order at a hearing before the Judge on Tuesday 3 March 2026 with a time estimate of one day (the parties to notify the Court of any change to the time estimate) (“the return date”).

Injunction

(2) Subject to paragraph (4) below, the Defendant shall be restrained until further order of the Court from doing or instructing or encouraging or causing or permitting any other person to do the following acts or any of them (whether by himself, his servants or agents or otherwise howsoever) without express prior authority in writing from the Claimant and save as expressly provided in the first or second proviso to this paragraph (2), namely:

(a) publishing or disclosing or causing or permitting to be published or disclosed any information, document or other article relating to the work of, or in support of, the United Kingdom Special Forces Group (“UKSF”) which is or has been in his possession by virtue of his position as a member of UKSF;

(b) making or causing or permitting to be made any statement which purports to be a disclosure of such information as is referred to in paragraph (2)(a) above or which is intended to be taken, or might reasonably be taken, by those to whom it is addressed, as being such a disclosure; or

(c) without prejudice to the generality of paragraph (2)(a) or (b) above, publishing or disclosing or causing or permitting to be published or disclosed any part of the video podcast entitled “EXPOSING The Quiet Split Between UK And US Forces | Ant Middleton | Mike Drop 246” published or broadcast on YouTube on or about 2 July 2025 by Michael Ritland and/or “Mike Drop: Unfiltered / Uncensored Unapologetically American” and/or “Mike Drop: Choke Yourself” (“the Podcast”) or any information or extract contained therein or derived therefrom.

First proviso

Provided that nothing in this paragraph (2) shall apply to prohibit any person (other than the Defendant, his servants or agents or any person acting on his behalf) from publishing or disclosing or causing or permitting to be published or disclosed any copy or part of or information or extract contained in or derived from the Podcast or (if and insofar as it was first published or broadcast before 2 July 2025) any book authored or co-authored by or attributed to, any television programme featuring or any media interview given by or with the Defendant.

Second proviso

Provided that nothing in this paragraph (2) shall apply to prohibit the Defendant, his servants or agents or any person acting on his behalf from publishing or disclosing or causing or permitting to be published or disclosed any copy or part of or information or extract contained in or derived from any of the “chapters” of the Podcast time-stamped (hr:min:sec) and/or labelled as follows:

00:00:00 – 00:02:17 “US-UK Military Alliance & Modern Fractures”; “Team Dog Meal Plans (Ad Break)”; “Introducing Ant Middleton”;

00:08:37 – 00:15:12 “UK Military Decline & Political Influence”;

00:21:54 – 01:03:01 “SAS Briefing & Pre-Selection Challenges”; “The Reality of Special Forces Training”; “Childhood & Joining the Military”; “Balancing Family & Extreme Professions”; “Lessons from Special Forces for Civilian Life”; “Bubs Naturals Ad (Tribute to Glen Doherty)”;

01:12:13 – 01:30:15 “Afghanistan Deployment”; “Handling Casualties in Combat”; “US-UK Military Alliance: Then and Now”; “Modern Warfare”;

02:08:00 – 02:17:56 “Leaving the Military: The Security Trap”; “Advice to Veterans: Step Out, Don’t Fall Back”;

02:34:05 – 03:02:32 “Trump’s Iran Strike and the UK’s Exclusion”; “Brexit Didn’t Fix ECHR or Immigration”; “UK’s Tax Tolerance”; “UK Knife Epidemic”; “Running for Mayor of London in 2028”; “Why I’m Running for Office”; “Ryan Reynolds and the Wrexham Football Phenomenon”; “Finance, Power, and Control: The UK’s Hidden Hand”;

03:04:54 – 03:26:54 “My Exit from War and the Search for a New Mission”; “TV Came Out of Nowhere – And I Took the Chance”; “From One TV Show to a Multimedia Empire”; “The Truth About Women in Special Operations”;

03:31:54 – 03:53:19 “Success in Business and F1”; “Passion for Cars Lamborghini”; “Political Ambitions”; “Closing”.

(3) Subject to paragraph (4) below, the Defendant shall be restrained until further order of the Court from doing or instructing or encouraging or causing or permitting any other person to do the following acts or any of them (whether by himself, his servants or agents or otherwise howsoever) without express prior authority in writing from the Claimant, namely, publishing or disclosing or causing or permitting to be published or disclosed any document filed or served on or provided to the Defendant or his Solicitors or Counsel by or on behalf of the Claimant in connection with these proceedings and headed “CONFIDENTIAL – NOT FOR ONWARD DISCLOSURE” or any copy or part thereof or any information or extract contained therein or derived therefrom.

Handling of documents and information

(4) Notwithstanding paragraphs (2) and (3) above, but subject to paragraphs (5)-(7) below, the Defendant has permission to:

(a) disclose any document or information or make any statement falling within paragraphs (2) or (3) above to his Solicitors or Counsel;

(b) make documents in or in connection with or for the purposes of these proceedings which contain information or statements falling within paragraphs (2) or (3) above (“Confidential Defence Documents”) and each such document shall be subject to the provisions of paragraph (3) above;

(c) deliver to his Solicitors or Counsel any document or written statement falling within paragraphs (2) or (3) above or any Confidential Defence Document or any copy or part thereof or any information or extract contained therein or derived therefrom; and

(d) destroy or delete permanently any draft or final Confidential Defence Document in accordance with arrangements agreed between the parties.

(5) The Defendant has permission to do the acts referred to in paragraph (4) above only if and to the extent that:

(a) each such act is reasonably necessary for the purposes of taking legal advice upon or of conducting the defence of these proceedings or of carrying this Order or any other order of the Court into effect; and

(b) the Defendant first instructs his Solicitors and Counsel, and they each give an undertaking, not to publish or disclose to any other person any information, statement or document disclosed, made or delivered to them thereunder without express prior authority in writing from the Claimant.

(6) Any copy of any document or written statement falling within paragraphs (2) or (3) above or any Confidential Defence Document shall be accessed, preserved, processed, saved and stored in a secure place and in secure conditions by the Defendant or by his Solicitors or Counsel in order to ensure that the Defendant shall be in a position to comply with this Order and any other order the Court may subsequently make in relation to any such document or statement.

(7) References herein to the Defendant’s Solicitors or Counsel are references to any Solicitors instructed by and acting for him and on the record or Counsel instructed by and acting for him in these proceedings.

Service

(8) The Claimant shall forthwith serve a copy of this Order on the Defendant in accordance with paragraphs (1)-(2) of the Order made in these proceedings by Master Davison dated 5 November 2025, but this Order is deemed to have been served on the Defendant today and personal service is dispensed with.

Anonymity

(9) The Claimant has permission to withhold from any statement of case, written evidence or submissions or other document filed or served in these proceedings the real name and/or initials of any other serving or former member of UKSF who has not been publicly avowed as such and to substitute the same with a pseudonym or cipher and (subject to further review by and order of the Court) any such individual giving evidence on behalf of the Claimant in these proceedings may do so under a pseudonym or cipher, they shall be referred to by that pseudonym or cipher in any order made or public judgment given in or report of and in any statement of case, written evidence or submissions or other document filed or served in these proceedings and their identity shall be withheld from the public and shall not be disclosed in any such document or proceeding in open court accordingly.

(10) Pursuant to CPR, Part 39.2(5) and the Master of the Rolls’ Practice Guidance (Sen Cts: Privacy and Anonymity Orders: Publication) dated 16 April 2019 [2019] 1 WLR 3082, a copy of this Order shall be published on the website of the Judiciary of England and Wales (which may be found at www.judiciary.uk) and, for that purpose, an officer of the Court will send a copy thereof by way of an email headed “Order for Publication under CPR, Part 39.2(5)” to the Judicial Office at judicialwebupdates@judiciary.uk.

The Court file

(11) Pursuant to CPR, Part 5.4C(4):

(a) the provisions of CPR, Part 5 dealing with access to and the supply of documents from the Court records shall not apply in respect of the records of the Court in these proceedings (“the Court file”);

(b) the Court file shall be clearly marked with the words, “An anonymity order was made in this case on 27 November 2025 and any application by a non-party to inspect or obtain a copy document from this file must be dealt with in accordance with the terms of that Order”; and

(c) any non-party may apply for permission to search or inspect or obtain a copy of any document in the Court file on no less than three clear working days’ written notice to the parties.

Miscellaneous

(12) The Claimant has permission to produce a confidential Schedule to the Particulars of Claim headed “CONFIDENTIAL – NOT FOR ONWARD DISCLOSURE” and setting out particulars of breach of contract and damage to the public interest and shall file and serve the Particulars of Claim and the said Schedule by 4pm on 12 December 2025.

(13) The Claimant shall serve a copy of the Supporting Materials and a note of the Hearing on the legal advisers of any non-party served with a copy of this Order promptly upon request and upon receipt of their written irrevocable undertaking to the Court to use those documents and the information contained therein only for the purpose of these proceedings.

(14) Any non-party served with, notified of or otherwise affected by this Order may apply to vary or discharge this Order or so much of it as affects them on no less than three clear working days’ written notice to the parties.

(15) Permission to apply.

(16) Costs reserved.

SCHEDULE A: NOTICE TO THE DEFENDANT

The Claimant’s Solicitor gave notice of the Application to the Defendant by serving the following on the Defendant on 21 November 2025 in accordance with paragraphs (1)-(2) of the Order of Master Davison dated 5 November 2025: Application Notice in support dated 21 November 2025 plus draft Order attached thereto; and the Supporting Materials.

SCHEDULE B: THE SUPPORTING MATERIALS

The Supporting Materials comprised: Amended Claim Form dated 11 November 2025 and certificate of service in respect thereof; Order of Master Davison dated 5 November 2025; Application Notice and draft Order referred to in Schedule A; first and second witness statements of Samuel Littlejohns of the Government Legal Department respectively dated 4 and 21 November 2025 and Exhibits SL1 and SL2 thereto; inter partes correspondence dated 21, 24-25 November 2025; article published by Broadcast Pro Middle East dated 19 November 2025, Insolvency Service Press Release dated 24 March 2025, “Television personality Ant Middleton banned as company director over unpaid taxes”.

SCHEDULE C: THE CLAIMANT’S UNDERTAKINGS

The Claimant gave the following undertakings to the Court:

(1) If the Court later finds that this Order has caused loss to the Defendant, and decides that the Defendant should be compensated for that loss, the Claimant will comply with any order the Court may make.

(2) If the Court later finds that this Order has caused loss to any person other than the Defendant to whom the Claimant has given notice of this Order, and decides that such person should be compensated for that loss, the Claimant will comply with any order the Court may make.

(3) On the return date, the Claimant will inform the Court of the identity of any person that has been notified of this Order and the Claimant will use all reasonable endeavours to keep any such person informed of the progress of the action insofar as it may affect them, including, but not limited to, advance notice of any applications, the outcome of which may affect the status of this Order.

(4) If this Order is varied or discharged, the Claimant will immediately take all reasonable steps to inform in writing any person notified of this Order, or whom it has reasonable grounds for supposing may act upon this Order, that it has ceased to have effect in this form.

DATED 27 NOVEMBER 2025