Labour has asked two leading QCs to advise the Party on what more could and should be done to diversify our judiciary.

Shadow Justice Secretary Sadiq Khan today launches this crucial piece of work because of fears progress towards diversity has stalled.

Currently, the UK is ranked fourth from bottom in Europe on gender balance of judges, while 83 per cent of High Court judges are male, and 95 per cent of them are white.

Khan has asked Sir Geoffrey Bindman QC - a renowned and senior figure in the legal profession - and Karon Monaghan QC - a leading expert in the field of equalities - to come up with proposals on what a future Labour Government could do to ensure our judges and magistrates better reflect wider society.

While in Government, Labour put in place a number of measures designed to promote diversity amongst those going on to become judges and magistrates.

However,  under the current Tory-led Government, the subject has been a much lower priority and momentum built up is being lost.

Labour believes this work is crucial as, in a democracy, the judiciary should reflect the diversity of society.

In addition, judges drawn from a wide range of backgrounds and life experiences bring varying perspectives that inform and enhance decision-making.

The party also believes that having a judiciary visibly more reflective of wider society will contribute to enhancing public confidence in the outcomes of the criminal justice system.

Sadiq Khan, who was a leading solicitor before he entered parliament said:

“This is an important subject, but it’s just not on the radar of the current Government. If we just sit back and do nothing, it’ll take a century for our judges and magistrates to reflect wider society. Labour isn’t prepared to sit by for 100 years and let things move along at a snail’s pace.

"What’s more, this Government’s proposals on legal aid are making things worse, leading to women, BAME and poorer members of the legal profession giving up their legal career. If today’s lawyers are unrepresentative of our society it makes it almost impossible that tomorrow’s judges will be any better. As Alan Milburn’s Social Mobility Taskforce Report noted, the law still remains a socially exclusive profession.

"Just as I’m passionate that our politicians should better reflect communities up and down the country, I think our judiciary has to do the same. Too many judges are still drawn from too narrow a background. We are missing out unless we do more to broaden the base of those who become judges. Having judges and magistrates who look and sound like the rest of us is crucial to the public having confidence in what they do.”

Sir Geoffrey Bindman QC said:

“In my opinion the law cannot command the respect it must have while those who administer it do not reflect the experience and needs of a changing population. That is why it is so important to speed up progress towards a more diverse judiciary.”

Karon Monaghan QC said:

“The need to secure a diverse judiciary has become urgent. The under representation of women and those from BAME communities, as well as other disadvantaged groups, in the judiciary undermines confidence in the justice system. This is particularly true in senior positions. It can result in legally binding decisions being made by those whose life experiences are far removed from those of the communities they serve. I look forward to the opportunity to consider more radical measures to secure the kind of representative judiciary to be expected in a modern democracy”