UK appoints next Supreme Court president

The United Kingdom has announced the appointment of Lord Briggs of Westbourne, popularly known as Michael Townley Featherstone Briggs, as the next President of the Supreme Court. He will succeed Lord Reed, who is set to retire in January 2027. The appointment was approved by His Majesty The King following the recommendation of an independent selection commission.

Lord Briggs, who has been a Justice of the Supreme Court since October 2017, will become the fifth President of the court since its establishment in 2009. Born in Portsmouth and Plymouth, Briggs spent his early years in West Sussex and later attended Charterhouse and Magdalen College, Oxford. He started his legal career in commercial and chancery work before being appointed to the High Court in 2006.

Briggs has been involved in various significant judicial roles, including leading the Civil Courts Structure Review and serving as the Deputy Head of Civil Justice. He was appointed a Justice of the Supreme Court in 2017 and assumed the role of a Lord Justice of Appeal in 2013. His appointment as President will take effect in January 2027 upon the retirement of Lord Reed.