Robert Reed

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Robert Reed

Born 7 September 1956 Edinburgh
Nationality British
Occupation Judge
Known for President of the UK Supreme Court, 2020–; presiding on the Huda Ammori proscription appeal, November 2026

Robert Reed (Lord Reed of Allermuir, born 7 September 1956) has been President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom since January 2020, and presided over the appeal by Huda Ammori, co-founder of Palestine Action, against the group's proscription, heard on 4 and 5 November 2026.[1][2] The Court announced in 2026 that he will retire and be succeeded by Lord Briggs in January 2027.[3]

Career

He was called to the Scottish Bar in 1983 and the English Bar in 1991, and took silk in 1995. According to a CV published by the Hong Kong government, he practised in public law until 1996 and then served as senior prosecuting counsel (Advocate Depute). He appeared in cases before the House of Lords, the European Court of Human Rights and the International Court of Justice, and was an expert adviser to a joint European Commission and Council of Europe programme with Turkey.[4] He sat in the Court of Session from 1998 to 2012, was Principal Commercial Judge, and sat as an ad hoc judge of the European Court of Human Rights. He joined the UK Supreme Court on 6 February 2012, became Deputy President in 2018 and President on 13 January 2020. He is High Steward of the University of Oxford.[5] The Hong Kong CV lists him as a trustee of the British Institute of International and Comparative Law and Visitor of Balliol College, Oxford.[4]

Hong Kong

Reed sat as a non-permanent judge of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal. On 30 March 2022 the Supreme Court announced that he and Lord Hodge had resigned from that court, after "discussion with the government" and "in agreement with the government", citing the situation following the national security law.[6]

Security, protest and sanctions rulings

  • In February 2021 Reed gave the unanimous judgment in R (Begum) v Special Immigration Appeals Commission [2021] UKSC 7, which found for the Home Secretary. The court refused Shamima Begum leave to enter the UK to pursue her appeal against the removal of her citizenship on national security grounds. Lord Hodge, Lady Black, Lord Lloyd-Jones and Lord Sales sat with him.[7]
  • In 2022 he gave the judgment in the Northern Ireland abortion clinic safe access zones reference [2022] UKSC 32, which held that the Bill's ban on protest near clinics was compatible with the Convention rights to freedom of expression and assembly. Lord Lloyd-Jones agreed.[8]
  • He sat on the November 2023 AAA (Rwanda) appeal, which ruled unanimously against the government's Rwanda removals policy. Lord Lloyd-Jones, Lord Briggs and Lord Sales also sat.[9]
  • In July 2025 he joined the majority in Shvidler [2025] UKSC 30, which upheld the government's Russia sanctions designation against a proportionality challenge. Lord Sales gave the leading judgment with Lady Rose.[10]

Israel

The UK Supreme Court runs a British-Israeli Legal Exchange with the Supreme Court of Israel. The Court's 2019–20 annual report lists the 2019 delegation to Israel as Lady Hale, Lord Kerr, Lord Wilson and Lord Hodge; Reed was not among them.[11] On 20 January 2025 Reed gave an online Global South Network lecture on judicial co-operation, to which Israeli Supreme Court Justice Alex Stein was among the respondents.[12]

Interests

Reed is a life peer but is disqualified from sitting in the House of Lords while he holds judicial office. His entry in the Lords register reads "Exempt from registration".[13] The Supreme Court does not publish a register of the justices' interests. It says that would be "not appropriate or feasible", and that several justices hold shares in public quoted companies.[14]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ UK Supreme Court, R (on the application of Ammori) v Secretary of State for the Home Department, UKSC 2026/0099, case page, accessed 5 November 2026.
  2. ↑ 3VB, Can Yeginsu acts for English PEN and PEN International as the Supreme Court hears the Palestine Action proscription appeal, 4 November 2026.
  3. ↑ UK Supreme Court, Lord Briggs confirmed as the next President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, news release, 2026.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Hong Kong government, Curriculum vitae: Lord Reed, January 2017.
  5. ↑ UK Supreme Court, Lord Reed, biography, accessed 5 November 2026.
  6. ↑ UK Supreme Court, Role of UK Supreme Court judges on the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal: update, 30 March 2022.
  7. ↑ UK Supreme Court, R (on the application of Begum) v Special Immigration Appeals Commission, case page.
  8. ↑ UK Supreme Court, Reference by the Attorney General for Northern Ireland: Abortion Services (Safe Access Zones) (Northern Ireland) Bill, case page.
  9. ↑ UK Supreme Court, R (on the application of AAA and others) v Secretary of State for the Home Department, case page.
  10. ↑ UK Supreme Court, Shvidler v Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs: press summary, 29 July 2025.
  11. ↑ UK Supreme Court, Annual Report and Accounts 2019–20, pp. 88–89.
  12. ↑ Global South Network, North-South judicial cooperation between the United Kingdom and the Global South, January 2025.
  13. ↑ UK Parliament, Lord Reed of Allermuir: registered interests, accessed 5 November 2026.
  14. ↑ UK Supreme Court, Justices' financial interests, accessed 5 November 2026.
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