Working in the shadows: the curious case of shadow Lord Chancellors and the duty to uphold the principle of judicial independence

1. Judicial independence matters. There is a clear constitutional value in the principle but recently, in amongst much more fractured politics, the safeguarding of judicial independence is not something to be taken for granted. This article was prompted by the Shadow Lord Chancellor’s, Robert Jenrick MP, speech at the Conservative Party conference in October 2025. Our intention is that this article should not be read as a critique on the individual, but rather as an opportunity to look at what can be done across party lines to engender more willingness to support judicial independence for broader constitutional benefit.