Neuberger on JR

Lord Neuberger, President of the Supreme Court, has warned against curbs on judicial review, in a lecture at the Institute for Government this week. “The ability to hold the executive to account is essential to the rule of law,” he said. “We should take great care in any approach to reduce access to judicial review. It is a small price to pay for a democratic society.” Justice Secretary Chris Grayling is introducing controversial reforms to increase fees for judicial review hearings and reduce time limits from three months to six weeks. On judicial diversity, Lord Neuberger said some progress had been made. However, he described the socio-economic background of the senior judiciary as “almost monolithic”.