Burnett to be youngest Lord Chief Justice in nearly 60 years

Sir Ian Burnett, a Lord Justice of Appeal, is to be the next Lord Chief Justice, the head of the judiciary in England & Wales.

He will take up the office on 2 October, following the retirement of Lord Thomas of Cwmgiedd.

At 59 he is the youngest person to hold the position since Lord Parker of Waddington, appointed in 1958. Candidates were expected to be able to serve for at least four years, in order to see through significant court reforms and to steer the judiciary through the Brexit process. As Lord Chief Justice he will also represent the views of the judiciary to Parliament and the Government.

Sir Ian, a public lawyer, was appointed to the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court in 2008 and to the C Court of Appeal in 2014. At the bar he served as counsel to the inquests into the deaths of Princess Diana and Dodi Al-Fayed, and in a number of inquiries including the 1987 Kings Cross fire, the 1997 Southall rail crash and the inquiry into the convictions of the Guildford Four.