President of UK Supreme Court announces retirement
updated on 21 January 2026
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The UK’s Supreme Court President Lord Reed announced that he'll step down on 10 January 2027. Law Society of England and Wales President Mark Evans stated: “We pay tribute to his service, leadership and dedication and wish him well in the future.”
With experience as an advocate in Scotland, having served as a senior judge there for 13 years, and a barrister in England, Lord Reed developed a notable career covering both civil and serious crime work. He succeeded Lady Hale of Richmond as president of the Supreme Court and became a life peer. Before taking up the presidency, he served as deputy president from June 2018, having first joined the court as a justice in February 2012.
In addition to his work on the Supreme Court and the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, he sits as an ad hoc judge at the European Court of Human Rights and holds the position of high steward of the University of Oxford.
Speaking on his decision Lord Reed said: “I will […] have served for seven years as president, for 15 years as a judge of the Supreme Court and for 28 years as a member of the senior judiciary. It’s been a privilege to serve the citizens of the United Kingdom and the people of the Privy Council jurisdictions round the world. It’s also been a pleasure to work with my colleagues on the court, present and past, in developing the law and strengthening the administration of justice.”
