Robert Jenrick has compared “activist” judges to biased football referees as he pledged to give ministers powers to hire and fire them.
The shadow justice secretary set out his plans after compiling a list of more than 30 full-time and part-time judges whom he said had previously volunteered help or provided free legal services for open-border organisations.
In a speech on the third day of the Conservatives’ annual conference, Mr Jenrick pledged to reverse reforms made by Sir Tony Blair 20 years ago, restoring the Lord Chancellor’s office to its “former glory” and giving back ministers’ powers to appoint judges.
Mr Jenrick said: “I’ve uncovered dozens of judges with links to open borders charities, who take to social media to broadcast their open borders views, who’ve spent their whole careers fighting to keep illegal migrants in this country.
“Some even continue to do so whilst astonishingly serving as judges. It’s like finding out halfway through a football match that the ref is actually a season ticket holder for the other side. The public rightly asks: ‘How independent are they?
