By . Martin Beckford . PUBLISHED: . 19:09 EST, 20 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 19:50 EST, 20 April 2013 . Carine Patry Hoskins, and adviser to Lord Leveson . Two lawyers at the heart of the Leveson Inquiry into press standards should have declared their burgeoning relationship to avoid perceptions of bias, a leading QC said last night. Carine Patry Hoskins, an adviser to Lord Justice Leveson, went on a Greek island holiday with top barrister David Sherborne. But he was representing victims of phone-hacking, including Hugh Grant, while she was contributing to the landmark report on the future of media regulation. The couple later began a relationship but neither told the judge about it and it remained a secret until this week. John Cooper, QC, a leading human rights lawyer, said: ‘I’m not saying they have acted inappropriately but if the situation was pertaining during Leveson it should have been brought to the tribunal’s attention. ‘The perception of bias, even if it is not proven, is considered to be a very serious matter in conventional courts.’ The Bar Council warns barristers it is ‘very unwise’ to start a relationship with opposing counsel during a case because of the risk of clients perceiving ‘a danger of breach of confidence or other conspiracy’. Miss Patry Hoskins, 40, and Mr Sherborne, 44, appeared in the High Court hearings into press standards that took place between November 2011 and July last year. Miss Patry Hoskins became an internet sensation after cameras caught her repeatedly looking at Grant during his questioning. In August she and Mr Sherborne – who are now divorcing their spouses – flew to Santorini. But they insist they only discussed ‘the possibility of a future relationship’ and decided against it. Once back in England, Miss Patry Hoskins helped write parts of Lord Justice Leveson’s final report, dealing with the recent relationship between newspapers and politicians. After the report was published in November, Miss Patry Hoskins and  Mr Sherborne began seeing each other. Actor Hugh Grant arrives with David Sherborne to give evidence to the Leveson inquiry . Hoskins and Sherborne went on holiday together to the Greek island of Santorini . Tory MP Douglas Carswell called  for the Leveson press regulation  plan to be scrapped in the light of the revelations. He said: ‘This gives the impression that press regulation was foisted on us by a cosy clique of lawyers and legal experts.’ He added the legal team was supposed to be ‘dispassionate,  not passionate’. Thais Portilho-Shrimpton, formerly of Hacked Off who worked with  Mr Sherborne during the inquiry,  said: ‘Given they both had access to information they shouldn’t have been sharing with each other, they perhaps should have told the judge about it. ‘It could have been that Leveson would have thought it was appropriate to replace her.’
Carine Patry Hoskins and Hugh Grant barrister David Sherborne went on Greek holiday .
QC slams pair for failing to declare their affair to avoid perceptions of bias .
Bar warns it's 'very unwise' for opposing counsel to start relationships during cases .
By . Martin Beckford . PUBLISHED: . 19:09 EST, 20 April 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 19:50 EST, 20 April 2013 . Carine Patry Hoskins, and adviser to Lord Leveson . Two lawyers at the heart of the Leveson Inquiry into press standards should have declared their burgeoning relationship to avoid perceptions of bias, a leading QC said last night. Carine Patry Hoskins, an adviser to Lord Justice Leveson, went on a Greek island holiday with top barrister David Sherborne. But he was representing victims of phone-hacking, including Hugh Grant, while she was contributing to the landmark report on the future of media regulation. The couple later began a relationship but neither told the judge about it and it remained a secret until this week. John Cooper, QC, a leading human rights lawyer, said: ‘I’m not saying they have acted inappropriately but if the situation was pertaining during Leveson it should have been brought to the tribunal’s attention. ‘The perception of bias, even if it is not proven, is considered to be a very serious matter in conventional courts.’ The Bar Council warns barristers it is ‘very unwise’ to start a relationship with opposing counsel during a case because of the risk of clients perceiving ‘a danger of breach of confidence or other conspiracy’. Miss Patry Hoskins, 40, and Mr Sherborne, 44, appeared in the High Court hearings into press standards that took place between November 2011 and July last year. Miss Patry Hoskins became an internet sensation after cameras caught her repeatedly looking at Grant during his questioning. In August she and Mr Sherborne – who are now divorcing their spouses – flew to Santorini. But they insist they only discussed ‘the possibility of a future relationship’ and decided against it. Once back in England, Miss Patry Hoskins helped write parts of Lord Justice Leveson’s final report, dealing with the recent relationship between newspapers and politicians. After the report was published in November, Miss Patry Hoskins and  Mr Sherborne began seeing each other. Actor Hugh Grant arrives with David Sherborne to give evidence to the Leveson inquiry . Hoskins and Sherborne went on holiday together to the Greek island of Santorini . Tory MP Douglas Carswell called  for the Leveson press regulation  plan to be scrapped in the light of the revelations. He said: ‘This gives the impression that press regulation was foisted on us by a cosy clique of lawyers and legal experts.’ He added the legal team was supposed to be ‘dispassionate,  not passionate’. Thais Portilho-Shrimpton, formerly of Hacked Off who worked with  Mr Sherborne during the inquiry,  said: ‘Given they both had access to information they shouldn’t have been sharing with each other, they perhaps should have told the judge about it. ‘It could have been that Leveson would have thought it was appropriate to replace her.’
2013 . Carine Patry Hoskins, and adviser to Lord their burgeoning relationship to avoid perceptions of bias, a leading QC said last barristers it is ‘very unwise’ to start a relationship with opposing counsel during a case Leveson inquiry . Hoskins and Sherborne went on