Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has hit out at “appalling” personal attacks on judges, accusing her political opponents of putting their safety at risk.
The politician said personal information about judges has been publicised amid attacks on their integrity, and said politicians who have joined in “should know better”.
Her words, as she appeared before the House of Lords Constitution Committee, came after a period of sustained public criticism of judges.
The Court of Appeal ruling on asylum seekers being housed at the Bell Hotel sparked anger among some groups, and the lead judge, Lord Justice Bean, found himself in the firing line.
Newspapers highlighted that he had chaired the left wing Fabian Society 35 years ago, he helped to found Matrix Chambers which has human rights among its specialties and he was said to have once been a treasurer for the Society of Labour Lawyers.
Online, the top judge faced vile abuse and anti-Semitic smears.
Meanwhile, Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick has spent the last few weeks on social media singling out individual judges who specialise in immigration cases.
His latest attack was aimed at a judge who had blocked deportation in two cases involving criminals, and in her past as a lawyer she served on the Board of Refugee Legal Centre, a charity providing legal support to asylum seekers.
Mr Jenrick, who believes judges are “too political”, argued that this judge’s decisions, when viewed alongside her past work, could “undermine public confidence”.
In her remarks on Wednesday, Ms Mahmood said: “It is one thing to criticise a decision, but it is another thing entirely to bring a judge’s integrity into question.”
She pointed out that judges swear an oath to apply the law and leave their political allegiances behind.
“To suggest otherwise, as some have in recent days, is to undermine the public confidence on which the justice system depends and erode the rule of law in this country”, she said.
“Attacks on judges also have a very human consequence, risking the security of the public servants we rely upon to guarantee our safety.
“I’ve been appalled by some of the language used in relation to our judges, particularly in recent days, and the disclosure of personal information that places them at risk, including – unfortunately – by those who seek high office and should, frankly, know better.”
She finished with a “reminder to those on all sides of Parliament and those outside it too, it is incumbent to uphold the principle of judicial independence, to defend the integrity and ensure the safety of our judges, and by doing so to uphold the rule of law.”
