An interview with Lord Judge

Former chief justice thought justification for 2003-05 reforms ‘insupportable’

Lord Judge, lord chief justice of England and Wales from 2008 to 2013, died on 7 November this year. A service of thanksgiving for his life will be held in the Temple Church on 25 January. It will be a moving occasion: Igor Judge was hugely admired and is much missed.

In the autumn of 2014, I sat down with Lord Judge for an hour and recorded a candid interview with him about the constitutional reforms introduced by Tony Blair’s government between 2003 and 2005.

He regarded the government’s justification for its reforms as “insupportable”. He also spoke frankly about his negotiations with the lord chancellors of the day — and why he had no chance of success.