UK loses seat on International Court of Justice

The UK will not have a judge on the International Court of Justice for the first time in the existence of the body, after the Government withdrew the candidacy of its nominee Sir Christopher Greenwood.

Sir Christopher Greenwood was hoping to be elected for a second nine-year term as one of the 15 judges of the UN body, but after six rounds of voting there was deadlock with Indian candidate Dalveer Bhandari. Mr Bhandari was supported by the General Assembly and Sir Christopher by the UN Security Council. A successful candidate needs to gain a majority on both bodies.

The loss of the UK's representation, which it has held since the creation of the ICJ in 1946 is being seen as a sign of the country's reduced influence in the world, despite the Government's claim that the UK would go forward with a new confidence following the Brexit process.

Britain's ambassador to the UN, Matthew Rycroft, commented: "If the UK could not win in this run-off, then we are pleased that it is a close friend like India that has done so instead. We will continue to cooperate closely with India, here in the UN and globally."

He said the UK would continue to support the work of the ICJ "in line with our commitment to the importance of the rule of law in the UN system and in the international community more generally".