Sir Brian Henry Leveson[1] (/ˈlɛvɪsən/ LEV-iss-ən; born 22 June 1949) is a retired English judge who is the current Investigatory Powers Commissioner, having previously served as the President of the Queen's Bench Division and Head of Criminal Justice.

Leveson chaired the public inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the British press, prompted by the News of the World phone hacking affair.

On 1 October 2013, Leveson was appointed President of the Queen's Bench Division, succeeding Sir John Thomas.

[13][14] In November 2007, the Criminal Division of the Court of Appeal, constituted by the Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales, Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, Leveson and Mr Justice Simon, quashed the conviction of Barry George and ordered a retrial in relation to the murder in 2001 of BBC presenter Jill Dando.

[21] It was announced on 13 July 2011 that Leveson would lead the public inquiry into issues of British press culture, practices and ethics raised by the News International phone hacking scandal.

[2] On 20 July, Prime Minister David Cameron announced that the scope of the inquiry had widened to include the BBC and social media.

[26] In 2013 Leveson was appointed as Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University,[27] taking over from Brian May, who stepped down at the end of his term.