David Lammy's speech to HM judges

Speech by Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy at the annual Mansion House dinner to HM judges 

My Lady Mayor and Mayoral Consort  

My Lady Chief Justice and members of His Majesty's judiciary

My lords, ladies and gentlemen  

I want to start by thanking everyone involved in making tonight happen

Not least our hosts, Dame Susan and Gary.  

There are few gatherings which bring together so many people responsible for the administration of justice

And where the Lord Chancellor addresses a group so capable of correcting him afterwards.  

Last year, my predecessor said

Without wishing to curse herself

She hoped to achieve something that had become unthinkable in recent years:  

A third appearance at the judges' dinner.  

As it turned out,  

She tempted fate rather more successfully than she intended.  

Recent events have reinforced the wisdom of not making long-term predictions about politics.  

So, if you'll forgive me

I won't make any comment about who next year's speaker might be.

One thing I know is this:

In an increasingly uncertain world,

Our institutions matter more than ever.

Few exemplify that more than the judiciary

An institution that combines enduring traditions

With wisdom accumulated through years of individual practice.  

Together, they give our country something invaluable:  

Confidence that

However much the world changes

The rule of law endures

Rooted in the consistency

And the integrity

With which you interpret the law.  

That makes you the cornerstone of our justice system

Which is among our country's greatest national assets.  

Because markets depend on confidence.

And confidence is sustained by the rule of law:

Businesses invest where contracts are enforced

Investors deploy capital where disputes are resolved fairly

International parties choose English law because they trust our courts.  

The rule of law is, therefore, more than a constitutional virtue:

It is an economic advantage.  

Legal services are one of Britain's economic success stories

And the City understands that well:

Its investment in Salisbury Square

Is about more than the fabric of our court estate

It is cementing Britain's position

As a global centre for legal services.  

And in her role

The Lady Mayor is one of the City's greatest ambassadors  

Promoting English Law

And the UK as a brilliant place to do business.  

The reputation we enjoy today was not created overnight.  

It was created over centuries:

By judges

Lawyers

Parliamentarians

Public servants who understood that justice requires constant stewardship.  

Every generation inherits that reputation.

Our duty is not simply to preserve it unchanged

Nor to remake it in our own image

But to hand it on stronger than we found it.  

That is exactly what initiatives like the English Law Promotion Panel

And the new Business and Property Division in the High Court are all about

Both of which I have been pleased to work on with the judiciary.

It is precisely because our justice system matters so much

That we cannot be complacent about its condition.  

The public do not experience justice through the lens of constitutional theory

They experience it when their legal problems are resolved fairly and swiftly.  

Delays affect victims waiting for closure

Witnesses waiting to give evidence

Families waiting for resolution

And businesses waiting for certainty.

If we fail to address these challenges

We risk undermining the very strengths

That have made our system admired around the world.  

Rising to them requires a proper programme of reform.

But renewal cannot be delivered by one part of the system acting alone.  

Our constitutional settlement works best when each part

Ministers

Parliament

And the judiciary

Plays its proper role.    

Government must provide the investment

As we have for unlimited sitting days in the criminal courts

So that they can get through as much work as possible.  

And as we have by increasing capital funding for the courts and tribunals

To £287 million for this financial year.

That is a forty-six percent increase on the previous year

To improve the condition of the court estate

And ensure the courts can respond to rapid changes in technology.  

We must also provide the strategic leadership required to support reform

And I pay tribute to my colleague Sarah Sackman, the Courts Minister

For the work she has been doing in response to Sir Brian Leveson's review of the criminal courts.  

It falls to Parliament to provide the legislative framework

Including through consideration of the Courts and Tribunals Bill

Currently making its way through the House of Commons  

Again led by Sarah Sackman but taking in expertise from across Parliament.  

Finally, the judiciary must continue to provide the system leadership  

And the day-to-day administration that underpins the delivery of justice.

It has been my pleasure to see the contributions of the Lady Chief Justice and the judiciary to court efficiency

Through initiatives such as the national listings framework

Remote hearings

Technology

And AI in particular.  

The Lady Chief Justice and I agree that judicial independence is beyond question

But also that Government will always have a supporting role.

We must work together to solve shared problems

In the interests of a better justice system.  

We also agree that reform cannot be confined to one jurisdiction.  

Crime matters.  

But so too do family, civil, and tribunals.  

Because each is a route by which people seek justice.  

We have been working closely on judicial diversity.  

When I took the oath as Lord Chancellor,

I reflected on the boy who grew up on a council estate and worked at KFC.  

I have just entered my 27th year in politics.

Back in the year 2000

People said I looked like Denzel Washington

Now they're more likely to say Forest Whitaker.  

The Lady Chief Justice mentioned that

For the very first time

Women are leading both the judiciary and the City.  

It is also the first time we have a Black Lord Chancellor.  

These milestones say something important about our country:

That it is a place where talent and hard work can take anyone anywhere.  

The Lady Chief Justice and I want every lawyer to feel that the judiciary is open to them.  

That is why we have established the Judicial and Legal Diversity Board

To look at practical steps

To identify and remove unnecessary barriers to judicial office

While continuing to preserve the principle that every appointment should, of course, be made on merit.  

Our hope is that the judiciary

Including at the most senior levels

Can attract the very best people from all walks of life

...all parts of the country...

...all ethnic backgrounds...

...all social backgrounds...

all professional backgrounds

all genders

Because widening the pool of talent strengthens the Bench

And a judiciary that reflects the people it serves

Strengthens public confidencein its ability to deliver fair outcomes

Ultimately, that strengthens the rule of law for the future.  

That brings me back to where I started.

Our justice system will always remain one of our country's greatest assets.

Because we are renewing it together

Not only to answer the questions it is being asked today

But those it will be asked tomorrow, too.  

The stewardship of our justice system is bigger than any one Minister

Any one parliamentarian

Or any one judge.  

The strength of our institutions has never been accidental

It has always depended on shared responsibility.  

That is how great institutions endure.  

And while there are many important partners in that endeavour

The people gathered in this room tonight bear a unique responsibility for the task.

I know it is one you will continue to discharge with distinction.

All that remains is for me to thank our hosts again

For their magnificent hospitality

So, please

Raise your glasses:

To the Lady Mayor and the Mayoral Consort.