Lord Briggs will succeed Lord Reed when he retires from the role in January 2027
Lord Briggs has been appointed the next President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, with the King approving the appointment following the recommendation of an independent selection commission. Lord Briggs appointment will take effect in January 2027, when the current President, Lord Reed, retires.
Lord Briggs will become the Court’s fifth President since it was established in 2009. He said the appointment was a “great privilege” and that he looked forward to working with colleagues across the Supreme Court and the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) to uphold the rule of law and deliver justice of the highest quality, transparency and accessibility.
Lord Reed welcomed the appointment, describing Lord Briggs as a judge of “the highest distinction” with previous experience of judicial leadership. He also highlighted his commitment to improving the accessibility and efficiency of the justice system.
Lord Briggs has extensive experience across the senior judiciary. He was appointed to the High Court in 2006 after taking silk in 1994 and served as the judge in charge of the Lehman insolvency litigation from 2009 to 2013.
He became a Lord Justice of Appeal in 2013 and led the Chancery Modernisation Review that year. From 2015 to 2016, he led the Civil Courts Structure Review, which recommended establishing an online civil court. He was appointed Deputy Head of Civil Justice in January 2016 and served as the de facto head of the Civil Procedure Rules Committee.
Lord Briggs joined the Supreme Court as a Justice in 2017. His work has included cases concerning equity and fiduciary duty in the common law. Since 2022, he has also had delegated responsibility for the practice and procedure of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.
The Supreme Court is the final court of appeal for civil cases in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and for criminal appeals in England and Wales and Northern Ireland. Its Justices also sit on the JCPC, which serves as the final court of appeal for a number of Commonwealth countries, Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories.
The President is the UK’s most senior judge and has responsibility for leading the Supreme Court and the JCPC as they determine complex and high-profile appeals. The role also includes statutory functions, leadership of the Justices and Court administration, and representing the Court nationally and internationally.
The Supreme Court said Lord Briggs has maintained a strong interest in modernising court procedures and improving transparency, including exploring the careful adoption of artificial intelligence in its administrative processes.