Britain’s David Lammy and the Lady Chief Justice of England and Wales, Sue Carr, chaired the first meeting of the newly created Judicial and Legal Diversity Board in London on Thursday. As the Guardian exclusively reports, the seven-member body aims to remove barriers for applicants from underrepresented groups and speed up access to the judiciary for solicitors with a migration background or from working-class families.
Lammy, the first black Lord Chancellor in British history, said before the meeting: “This new board is a major step forward as the Lady Chief Justice and I work to break down barriers and nurture talent from all walks of life – to continue making real progress towards a judiciary that reflects modern Britain.” Lady Carr, the first woman to head the judiciary, called the board a “welcome forum to create opportunities together with the legal professions.”
The initiative follows criticism of Lammy’s plans to drastically reduce the number of jury trials. Critics fear that this could lead to more racial and class bias in the predominantly white and middle-class judiciary, which already lacks diversity. The new board aims to improve mentoring programmes for new judges and pave the way for solicitors from disadvantaged backgrounds.
According to the latest figures from the Ministry of Justice from 2025, the proportion of black judges remains at just one percent despite recent recruitment campaigns. The proportion of female judges, however, has risen to 44 percent – a success the new body hopes to build on.
The Judicial and Legal Diversity Board met for the first time in a central London location. It is scheduled to convene regularly to develop concrete measures and monitor progress. Lammy had already announced ahead of time that he would push for binding quotas for ethnic minorities in the judiciary – a plan that faces scepticism within the government.
EuroPulse reported on 15 May 2026 on Lammy’s controversial plans to reduce jury trials, which prompted the diversity initiative:
Source: www.theguardian.com
