Supreme Court president and deputy president to give evidence to Lords committee

The House of Lords Constitution Committee will tomorrow be holding its annual evidence session with the President and Deputy President of the Supreme Court. This will be the final session with Lord Reed of Allermuir before his retirement as President of the Supreme Court in January 2027, and the first session with Lord Sales since his appointment as Deputy President in January 2026. 

The session will focus on the work of the Supreme Court, judicial appointments, diversity and inclusion, communication with the public and AI and new technologies.  

Giving evidence will be: 

• The Rt Hon Lord Reed of Allermuir, President of the Supreme Court  

• The Rt Hon Lord Sales, Deputy President of the Supreme Court 

Questions the committee is likely to ask include: 

• Ahead of his retirement next January, what are Lord Reed's reflections on his time as President of the Supreme Court?  

• There are a number of upcoming retirements from the Supreme Court. How is the recruitment of new Justices progressing? 

• Are there any practical implications of a number of senior judicial vacancies arising at the same time? 

• The Supreme Court has recently published a new diversity and inclusion strategy. What is the hope for what the strategy will achieve, and how is the delivery of the objectives intended? 

• In the 2024 Judicial Attitude Survey, two-thirds of judges said that they were extremely concerned by the loss of respect for the judiciary by the Government. Why is this? 

• How is maintaining strong relationships with Government and Parliament being sought and what steps can the judiciary, Government and Parliament take to strengthen these relationships?  

• What role does international law play in the work of the Supreme Court? Should international law be regarded as part of the rule of law? 

• The committee's recent report on the rule of law recommended that the judiciary should proactively communicate with the public, such as through social media, to counter misleading narratives about the courts and their judgments. What work is the Supreme Court doing in this space? 

• In what ways, if any, is the Supreme Court adopting AI and other new technologies in its work? 

• What impact will AI will have on the justice system, and how is the Supreme Court seeking to adapt to this? 

The session will take place on Wednesday 22 April at 10:30 and can be followed live on Parliament TV.