Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers is one of the most senior judicial figures in the land. He was Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales from 2005 to 2008, and went on to be the first president of the newly created UK Supreme Court in 2009. He has held all three highest posts in the judicial hierarchy.

As Lord Chief Justice, he oversaw the modernisation of judges’ robes, including the abolition of wigs in the civil courts. He also chaired the inquiry into BSE or mad cow disease from 19972000.

The interview is conducted by Frances Gibb, journalist and former legal editor of The Times, for a landmark podcast series, The Judges: Power, Politics and the People, hosted by The University of Law. The series features the most senior former judges in England and Wales of the last three decades – those who have reached the apex of the justice system. It asks: who are the men and occasionally women who have reached the pivotal positions at the top of the judiciary? What do they feel about their time in office their key decisions and dealing with ministers?

00:00:00 Intro
00:02:01 Changing roles
00:03:08 Lord Chief Justice
00:07:11 Reforms abolition of Lord Chancellor and creation of Supreme Court
00:10:19 Changing judges’ robes
00:12:24 Entry into the law
00:15:30 Becoming a judge
00:17:23 BSE enquiry
00:23:25 Sentencing
00:30:02 Whole life tariffs and withdrawal from European Convention on Human Rights
00:34:58 Supreme Court
00:38:37 Attitude to rule of law from ministers
00:42:07 Balance of power