Reform judicial accountability and restrict political affiliations of judges.

Rejected 21 signatures

What the petition asks

We call on the government to introduce legislation that increases the public accountability of the judiciary and explicitly bans judges from holding membership or active affiliation with political organisations and think tanks, such as the Fabian Society.

The UK judiciary must be transparent & remain strictly impartial of political influence. Parliament must introduce reforms to make the judiciary more accountable. This should include mandatory, publicly accessible registers of all political and ideological affiliations for sitting judges. Furthermore, the law should explicitly prohibit judges from maintaining active membership in organisations that campaign for specific political or social policy changes.

Why it was rejected

The UK Government or Parliament was already taking the action it asked for.

There is already a statutory prohibition on salaried judges undertaking any kind of political activity or having ties with a political party. This prohibition includes holding political office. It is also set out in judges’ terms and conditions. Judges should also avoid any appearance of political ties – e.g. by attending political gatherings, political fundraising events, contribution to political parties or speaking within political forums. You can find out more in the Guide to Judicial Conduct: /https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Guide-to-Judicial-Conduct-2023.pdf

Timeline

26 May 2026	Petition opened for signatures
22 Jun 2026	Rejected by the Petitions Committee

Key facts

Signatures 21

Status Rejected

Rejected 22 Jun 2026

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