Lord Neuberger leads calls to extend judicial retirement age

President of the Supreme Court, Lord Neuberger, has called for the compulsory judicial retirement age of 70 to be abolished.

Writing for The Brief, the UK’s most senior judge said the rule resulted in a “huge loss of experience and talent”.

“Furthermore, the situation is demonstrably illogical as judges who must retire at 70 are able to sit as part-time judges until reaching 75, and people can be jurors until 75.”

Lord Neuberger will retire in September this year, ahead of his 70th birthday next January.

His comments come amid a chorus of calls to increase the retirement age for judges at a time when the attractiveness of the bench is waning.

Lord Neuberger has previously talked about “refuseniks”, senior lawyers who refuse to go to the bench.

Lord Woolf, a former Lord Chief Justice, told The Times in March: “The recruitment problem of judges is going through a difficult period. There are a number of reasons, including the reduction of the retirement age from 75 to 70. I have supported unsuccessful efforts for this decision to be reversed, but if it cannot be reversed for everyone, it should be reversed for those in the ‘top’ jobs, heads of divisions and Supreme Court judges.”

Barrister and cross-bench peer Lord Pannick has also criticised the mandatory retirement age, saying it was “impossible to justify”.