Lord Briggs of Westbourne has been appointed the next President of the United Kingdom Supreme Court, succeeding Lord Reed, who is expected to retire in January 2027.
The appointment was approved by King Charles III on the advice of the Prime Minister and Lord Chancellor, following a recommendation by an independent selection commission, according to the Prime Minister’s Office. Briggs will formally assume office in January 2027 and become the fifth President of the Supreme Court since its establishment in 2009.
Born Michael Townley Featherstone Briggs, he has served as a Justice of the Supreme Court since October 2017. He grew up around Portsmouth and Plymouth before spending his later childhood in West Sussex.
Briggs studied at Charterhouse and Magdalen College, Oxford, before beginning a legal career focused on commercial and chancery work. He was appointed to the High Court in 2006 and later became the judge overseeing the extensive Lehman insolvency litigation between 2009 and 2013.
Briggs became Deputy Head of Civil Justice in 2016 and was appointed to the Supreme Court the following year. During his time on the court, he has been involved in major cases concerning equity and fiduciary duties and has also had responsibility for the practice and procedure of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council since 2022.
His appointment as President will take effect when Lord Reed steps down in January 2027.
