More diversity needed in Supreme Court justices, president says

Supreme Court president calls for more diversity to be appointed into the justice system.

Only 4% of senior judges from the High Court and higher courts are from ethnic minority backgrounds, compared to 8% of lower court judges and 12% of tribunal judges.

Lord Reed said that the lack of diverse ethnic backgrounds within the current Supreme Court justices "cannot be allowed to become shameful if it persists".

Lord Reed said that he hoped a justice from a black, Asian or minority background would be appointed to the Supreme Court "before I retire which is in six years' time".

Discussing the case of Alexandra Wilson last month, a black barrister was mistaken for a defendant on three occasions, Lord Reed called the incident "appalling".

He said: "Alexandra Wilson is a very gifted young lawyer, an Oxford graduate who has won umpteen scholarships, and for her to be treated like that was extremely disappointing to say the least,"