11 December 2023
The Lord Chancellor today announced the appointment by His Majesty the King of 6 new Commissioners of the Judicial Appointments Commission (JAC) following an open competition.
The new Commissioners are: Christopher Bones, Anthony Harnden, Clare McGlynn, Noel Arnold, Uchechi Igbokwe and Tanweer Ikram
The appointments are for a three-year period; Tanweer Ikram’s appointment commences on 14 December 2023 and the terms of Christopher Bones, Anthony Harnden, Clare McGlynn, Noel Arnold and Uchechi Igbokwe commence 1 January 2024.
The JAC is an independent commission that selects candidates for judicial office in courts and tribunals in England and Wales, and for some tribunals with a UK-wide jurisdiction. The JAC selects candidates for judicial office on merit, through fair and open competition.
Both announcements are here and here.
Note to editors
These appointments were made in accordance with the Cabinet Office Governance Code for Public Appointments. Terms have the possibility of reappointment, subject to the provisions of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005.
Remuneration for lay Commissioners is non-pensionable fee of £338 a day. For serving salaried judges these posts are unpaid.
The time commitment is between 17 and 28 days a year.
Biographies
Christopher Bones: Since 2018, Chair of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives and is a Non-Executive Director (NED) at three other organisations. He is a non-lawyer who has been appointed to expert and advisory Panels and worked on Lord Bellamy’s Criminal Legal Aid Review. Has been a Member of the Criminal Legal Aid Advisory Board from 2022-2023.
Anthony Harnden: He has worked as a Principal in General Practice at Morland House Surgery, Wheatley Oxfordshire for 33 years. He is a Professor of Primary Care at the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences at the University of Oxford and Honorary Fellow of St Hugh’s College. Since 2006 he has been the GP member of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) which advises the UK government on vaccine policy and in 2015 was appointed Deputy Chairman; and since 2017 he has been a registrant Council member of the General Medical Council (GMC) and for the past three years has been Chairman of the GMC Remuneration Committee.
Clare McGlynn: Since 2004, Professor of Law at the University of Durham with particular expertise in the legal regulation of online abuse and sexual offending. Clare was appointed an honorary King’s Counsel in 2020 in recognition of her work championing equality in the legal profession and the influence of her research in shaping new criminal laws. In 2019, she was appointed a member of Parliament’s Independent Expert Panel.
Noel Arnold: Noel became a Judge of the First-tier Tribunal (Social Entitlement Chamber) in April 2020 having previously been appointed as a fee-paid First-tier judge in the same jurisdiction. Noel was admitted to the Roll of Solicitors in April 2006. He was the Co-chair of the Association of Lawyers for Children from 2017-2019 and was a committee member of the Law Society’s Children Law sub-committee for 10 years. He currently sits on the Senior President of Tribunal’s Diversity Task Force.
Uchechi Igbokwe: Uche, since 2004, works as a consultant histopathologist for Barking, Havering and Redbridge (BHR) University Hospitals NHS. In 2018 BHR University Hospitals NHS Trust appointed Uche as Clinical Lead for histopathology and Pathology Clinical Director until March 2024. He was appointed a magistrate in 2006 and for over 10 years has been a presiding justice in both the adult criminal court and the family panel.
Tanweer Ikram: Appointed the Deputy Senior District Judge (Chief Magistrate) in 2017, previously District Judge (Magistrates’ Courts) in 2009. He also served as an Associate Judge on the Sovereign Base Area of Episkopi & Dhekelia (Cyprus). He was Called to the Bar in 1990 and now a Bencher at Inner Temple. He was also admitted a solicitor in 1993. In 2004, he was appointed Deputy Lead Diversity & Community Relations Judge where he leads 150 judges engaged in diversity work. In 2022, he was awarded CBE for services to judicial diversity.