In a statement published on 8 September 2026, the Prime Minister’s Office said His Majesty The King had approved the appointment of Lord Briggs of Westbourne as the next President of the UK Supreme Court. The appointment was made on the advice of the Prime Minister and Lord Chancellor after a recommendation from an independent selection commission, and Lord Briggs is due to take office in January 2027 when Lord Reed retires. He will be the Court’s fifth President since the institution opened in 2009. (gov.uk) This is more than a routine senior appointment. The presidency combines judicial authority with institutional leadership, so the handover matters not only to the legal profession but also to departments, devolved governments and public bodies whose decisions can ultimately be tested before the Court. (supremecourt.uk)
The Supreme Court describes itself as the final appeal court for civil cases across the United Kingdom and for criminal cases from England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It also decides devolution issues under the settlements for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, placing it directly inside some of the most sensitive disputes about legislative powers, public authority and constitutional boundaries. (supremecourt.uk) That constitutional position explains why the office matters in policy terms. The Court was created by the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 and opened in October 2009, replacing the House of Lords’ appellate role and making a clearer separation between Parliament and the senior judiciary. A change at the top of the Court therefore carries institutional significance well beyond the management of individual cases. (supremecourt.uk)
The President’s remit extends beyond sitting on leading appeals. Under the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, the President may make the Supreme Court Rules governing practice and procedure, and the Act also places the President within the Court’s statutory staffing structure. The Supreme Court’s own information on the post adds that the President takes final decisions on case listing and panel composition and has a formal representational role in dealings with Parliament, the Executive and devolved administrations. (legislation.gov.uk) In practical terms, that means the role can influence how the Court’s work is organised as much as how it is judged. Questions of procedure, scheduling, panel formation and external representation all affect the speed, visibility and handling of appeals that often have effects across multiple jurisdictions and policy areas. (supremecourt.uk)
The appointment process is also designed to show institutional independence. According to the Supreme Court, appointments are governed by the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 and the Supreme Court (Judicial Appointments) Regulations 2013. For a presidential vacancy, the independent commission must include the Deputy President or another senior Justice, a senior UK judge, and members drawn from the appointments bodies in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, with at least two non-legally qualified members. (supremecourt.uk) The same Supreme Court guidance sets out the later stages. After the commission selects a candidate, the Lord Chancellor undertakes statutory consultation across the UK jurisdictions and may accept the choice, reject it or require reconsideration only within the statutory framework. If the choice is accepted, the name is passed to the Prime Minister and then to the King for the formal appointment. (supremecourt.uk)
Lord Briggs arrives with a record closely associated with civil justice reform and court modernisation. The Supreme Court and the Prime Minister’s Office note that he became a Lord Justice of Appeal in 2013, led the Chancery Modernisation Review that year, and chaired the Civil Courts Structure Review in 2015 to 2016, which recommended the creation of an online civil court. He was appointed Deputy Head of Civil Justice in January 2016 and joined the Supreme Court as a Justice in 2017. (supremecourt.uk) Since 2022 he has also held delegated responsibility for the practice and procedure of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. Taken together, that record suggests a presidency likely to place weight on access, procedure and the efficient running of appellate business, while remaining within the Court’s existing institutional direction. (supremecourt.uk)
The transition is scheduled rather than sudden. Lord Reed has served as President since 13 January 2020, and Lord Sales took up office as Deputy President in January 2026, so the Court enters this handover with its two most senior roles mapped out before Lord Briggs’s formal start in January 2027. (supremecourt.uk) For ministers, regulators, lawyers and policy officials, the immediate message is continuity in the Court’s constitutional function but a change in who will direct its internal operation and public representation. The Supreme Court will continue to settle final disputes on legislation, public powers and devolution competence, and its next President will have a direct role in how that work is managed and presented. (supremecourt.uk)