Professor Graham Gee has co-written (with Professor Richard Ekins, University of Oxford) a for Policy Exchange鈥檚 Judicial Power Project arguing that the system for selecting senior judges needs reform. The paper points to the need for increased ministerial input to rebalance senior judicial appointments, with the authors calling for the Lord Chancellor to have discretion to select from a shortlist prepared by the Judicial Appointment Commission or other relevant selection bodies.
In a Foreword to the paper, the Rt Hon Jack Straw welcomes the report and endorses the reform proposed by Professors Gee and Ekins as 鈥榲ery sensible鈥. The former Labour Lord Chancellor notes that the report may be greeted by 鈥榚xpressions of outrage and charges of 鈥減olitical interference鈥濃, but he goes on to say that such criticism would be 鈥榳holly misplaced鈥.
The Financial Times has that the government is currently studying Professor Gee and Ekins鈥檚 report as part of its constitutional reform agenda.