Policy Exchange’s response to the Lady Chief Justice’s criticism of the PM and LOTO

Responding to the Lady Chief Justice – the UK’s most senior judge – criticising the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition for their criticism of an immigration judge who allowed Gazan refugees to come to the UK, Richard Ekins KC (Hon), Head of the Judicial Power Project at Policy Exchange, comments:

“This is a very ill-advised intervention by the Lady Chief Justice. There was nothing in the least constitutionally improper in the recent exchange between the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition. Parliamentarians, including Ministers, are free to disagree with judgments and to say as much. Neither judicial independence nor the rule of law entitle judges to be free from criticism and the Lady Chief Justice is wrong to attempt to suppress criticism.”