AN SNP MP has hired the firm of leading human rights lawyers who have won a string of high profile cases - including that of Clive Ponting - as he continues his legal battle with the UK Government over secret polling on the Union.

Tommy Sheppard, MP for Edinburgh East, has been fighting to have the information released for years and previously won an Information Commissioner ruling to have the documents made public.

Despite this, the Cabinet Office has refused to hand them over, with Mr Sheppard taking the government to court to obtain the information.

His legal team have now sent their written submission to the court who could make a judgment without an oral hearing.

Speaking to The Herald, Mr Sheppard revealed that he was able to instruct Bindmans as the solicitors to fight his case following a crowdfunding campaign which raised just under £10,000.

The London-based firm was set up in 1974 as Bindman and Partners by the leading human rights lawyer Sir Geoffrey Bindman QC together with Wendy Mantle, Sarah Leigh and William Blakeney. Over the years they have represented dozens of clients fighting to protect their rights and freedoms.

Clients have included families affected by the Grenfell fire and the Hillsborough football disaster as well as the late senior civil servant Mr Ponting.

Bindmans represented the Ministry of Defence official after leaked documents about the sinking of the Argentinian ship the General Belgrano in the Falklands War, which saw him arrested and charged with breaching the Official Secrets Act. Despite the judge directing the jury that they should convict him, Mr Ponting was acquitted.

The firm was also involved in the successful extradition of the Chilean General Pinochet from London to his homeland where he became the first head of state to be prosecuted for crimes against humanity.

Sir Geoffrey Bindman has also backed the family of James Hanratty in their legal efforts to clear his name after the 25-year-old was one of the last people in the UK to be hanged in 1962.

Mr Sheppard thanked people who donated to his crowdfunder and said he hoped the polls would finally be released by the Cabinet Office as previously instructed.

The data, which will now be long out of date dating back to 2018, relates to Westminster's public polling on attitudes towards the union and Scottish independence, which was funded by the taxpayer.

"This is now not so much about polling and independence, but about the right to know. It should ring alarms bells with anyone concerned about what the government is doing," he said.

"I hope the judge will find in our favour, the Cabinet Office abide by that and that will be the end of the matter as it's been going on for far too long. But I am dealing here with a very belligerent and intransigent Cabinet Office."

Mr Sheppard originally requested it through a Freedom of Information request in 2019, which was rejected by the Whitehall department.

Since then, the Cabinet Office has appealed the ruling to hand over the information twice,

Alongside the 2019 request, the SNP has also called for the a public inquiry after The Herald revealed the former Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove used funds for Covid contracts to conduct research into attitudes to the union.

Mr Sheppard MP said 14 months had passed since the Tribunal ruled the information he requested on polling into public attitudes towards the union must be made public.

The Cabinet Office have previously said that the UK Government regularly commissions research across the UK to understand public attitudes and behaviours to inform our campaigns and policies.