THE government was forced yesterday to release secret documents which show that GCHQ and MI5 actively targeted legally privileged conversations between lawyers and their clients.

Legal privilege is a central tenet of British law, protecting confidential communication between lawyer and client.

However, the documents published this week show that for years GCHQ and MI5 advised staff that they could “target the communications of lawyers” and use legally privileged material “just like any other item of intelligence.”