David Lammy, the justice secretary, and Lady Chief Justice Sue Carr are spearheading a new initiative to accelerate the recruitment of minority ethnic and working-class solicitors into the judiciary. The pair have established a judicial and legal diversity board, which held its inaugural meeting in central London on Thursday.
Board Aims to Remove Barriers
The seven-strong panel, chaired by Lammy—the first black lord chancellor—and Carr, aims to fast-track solicitors from under-represented backgrounds and improve mentoring schemes. This move follows criticism that Lammy's plans to reduce jury trials could exacerbate racial and class bias within a predominantly white and middle-class judiciary.
Speaking before the meeting, Lammy stated: “This new board is a huge step forward as the lady chief justice and I look to break down barriers and back talent from all walks of life – continuing to drive real progress towards a judiciary that’s reflective of modern Britain.”
Lady Carr, the first woman to serve as head of the judiciary, described the board as a “welcome forum for us to work alongside the legal professions in providing opportunities.”
Current Diversity Statistics
Ministry of Justice figures from 2025 indicate that black judges still represent only 1% of the judiciary, despite recent recruitment drives. A Sutton Trust report released in September revealed that three-quarters of senior judges attended Oxford or Cambridge, and nearly two-thirds were privately educated.
The board intends to collaborate with black and other minority legal professionals, including those from working-class backgrounds, to strengthen mentoring and support systems.
Criticism from Black Judges' Association
The UK Association of Black Judges, launched last year to address recruitment failures, expressed frustration at being invited to the board meeting only three days beforehand, preventing them from sending a representative. Chair Cordella Bart-Stewart called for recruitment targets to be set for the Judicial Appointments Commission, which recommends individuals for judicial office.
“This initiative is welcomed,” she said. “However, the government is trying to do this without properly consulting our members about what we see as being the issues in the appointments process. The problems lie within the judicial appointments commission. Their processes and internal biases need analysis because they continue to exclude people.”
The commission has been approached for comment.
Concerns Over Institutional Racism
Keir Monteith KC, a prominent barrister, argued that any reform must address institutional racism in the justice system. “That very fact will hamper the recruitment of black and ethnic minority judges and will result in very little real change even after some take office,” he said. “It helps to explain why previous initiatives over the last 10 years have failed to bring about any change.”
Fiona Rutherford, chief executive of the legal reform charity Justice, welcomed the board but questioned how it differed from existing efforts. “Diverse candidates are already applying for judicial roles in greater numbers, yet this has not translated into appointments. Work needs to be done on ensuring the appointments process is free from bias backed by meaningful diversity targets,” she said.
Broader Context
In February, it emerged that Lammy was examining whether his plans to expand judge-led trials for all but the most serious cases could lead to harsher sentences for minority ethnic defendants. Critics have pointed to Lammy's 2017 review into ethnic minority treatment in the criminal justice system, which found that black and ethnic minority individuals were more likely to receive prison sentences for drug offences than white defendants. The review also cited public comments that ethnic minorities “had more confidence in the fairness of juries than they had in the fairness of magistrates courts.”
Additionally, the Guardian has learned that ministers plan to allow live broadcast of sentencing remarks by the chief magistrate for the first time. Lammy and Carr have also agreed to establish a joint working group to explore further expansion of court broadcasting.
