Lord Neuberger, president of the Supreme Court, says some media “undermine the rule of law”

Speaking on BBC’s Today programme, Britain’s top judge, Lord Neuberger, said some of the attacks directed at the High Court judges after they ruled against the government in the case involving Article 50 was “undermining the rule of law”.

When three High Court judges ruled that parliament should have a say in triggering Article 50 to leave the EU, they faced intense criticism from some sections of the media, including a Daily Mail front page describing them as “enemies of the people”.

Politicians “could have been quicker and clearer” in their defence of the judiciary, he added in the interview. While not mentioning her by name, it is likely he was referring to Liz Truss, the justice secretary, who was slow to support the judiciary following the derogatory press headlines.

Lord Neuberger said: “We [judges] were certainly not well treated. One has to be careful about being critical of the press, particularly as a lawyer or judge, because our view of life is very different from that of the media. I think some of what was said was undermining the rule of law.

“But we all learn by experience, whether politicians or judges. It’s easy to be critical after the event. They were faced with an unexpected situation from which, like all sensible people, they learned.”

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