David Lammy spoke out after warnings from the profession that they are facing death and rape threats amid an increasingly toxic atmosphere instigated by political attacks
Robert Jenrick should “apologise” for his language that is making legal professionals feel unsafe at work, the Justice Secretary has claimed.
David Lammy spoke out after warnings from the profession that they are facing death and rape threats amid an increasingly toxic atmosphere instigated by political attacks.
Mr Jenrick has led a campaign to reveal what he describes as “activist” judges, said he would sack 35 of them, and claimed “a deep rot has infected parts of our judiciary”.
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He also called for the Sentencing Council to be abolished, as well as the Judicial Appointments Commission and immigration tribunals.
Asked by The Mirror about these comments at an event with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, the Deputy Prime Minister told the senior Tory to apologise.
He said: “I take very seriously my constitutional responsibility to uphold the independence of the judiciary and that is all of our judges.
“Robert Jenrick, if he wants to be Lord Chancellor should really apologise for some of the language that he has been using that is actually making our judiciary feel unsafe in their day-to-day work.
“I know that he is shortly to meet with the Lord Chief Justice, and I hope that he’s able to discuss these issues and step back from some of the language that he has been using and take seriously the concerns that our judiciary are raising about the environment in which we ask them to operate, and recognising that in our system, they are not able, and it would be inappropriate for them to speak publicly.
“That is why it’s important that we temper what we say about the work of an independent judiciary, who must rightly and properly go about their work with maximum integrity and do that every day on our behalf.”
Earlier this month saw the Bar Council of England and Wales, The Law Society of England and Wales, The Law Society of Scotland, Faculty of Advocates, The Bar of Northern Ireland, and The Law Society of Northern Ireland, warn that vilifying lawyers “simply for doing their job” puts the judiciary at risk.
The six legal bodies, representing 250,000 lawyers, expressed “grave concern” over the language being used toward legal professionals.
Mr Jenrick sparked outrage earlier this month after he posted a video claiming that more than 30 immigration judges have links to “open borders charities”.
Refugee support charities Freedom from Torture and Care4Calais, who both recently signed a statement of solidarity in the face of what they describe as mounting threats from the far right, condemned his comments.