Head of Red Lion Chambers Max Hill QC (pictured) has today been announced as the next director of public prosecutions (DPP), succeeding incoming Linklaters partner Alison Saunders.

Hill, who is also the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation in the UK, will begin a five-year term leading the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) on 1 November.

Commenting on his appointment, Hill said: "This is a challenging time for the CPS, with the rise in complex cases and negative publicity about its handling of disclosure in some cases. I have seen first-hand the sterling work of the CPS and I am determined to restore public trust in all of its work."

Attorney General Geoffrey Cox QC MP added: "Mr Hill is a distinguished and extremely experienced Queen's Counsel who has demonstrated a profound commitment both to the criminal justice system and to public service. I am confident that he will be a good and collaborative leader of the Crown Prosecution Service and a principled and strongly independent chief prosecutor. The public will rightly expect nothing less."

Hill, who is a former leader of the South Eastern Circuit and past chairman of the Criminal Bar Association, has a focus on defending and prosecuting complex homicide, violent crime and high-value fraud and corporate crime cases. His past cases include the murder of 10-year-old schoolboy Damilola Taylor and acting for the Metropolitan Police in the inquests following the 2005 London bombings.

He also appeared as lead prosecution counsel in Channel 4's The Trial, a programme aired in 2017 that saw real juries, barristers and judges try a fictional murder case to explore the workings of the judicial system.

Hill's appointment to the £205,000-a-year role comes as Saunders prepares to join Linklaters as a partner. Saunders has come under heavy criticism during her leadership of the CPS following the high-profile collapse of several rape trials as a result of failures in evidence disclosure.

Last week, Saunders was criticised in a Justice Committee report for failing to press for "urgent action to address the worsening situation during her time in post". The CPS faced scrutiny in December 2017 when the trials of Isaac Itiary, who was accused of raping a child, and Liam Allan, both collapsed after disclosure failings.

Speaking to Legal Week earlier this year, Justice Secretary David Gauke said: "What these cases have revealed is people not performing the duties they should be. The police and the CPS have responsibilities and they need to fulfill them."