Legal Services Bill [Lords]

The hon. Gentleman is not following what we are saying. It is clear that Britain’s legal services should not only be independent of politics but be seen to be independent. To that end, the noble Lords in another place amended the Bill so that the Lord Chief Justice also has a role in the appointment of the board. Specifically, as has been articulated earlier, the Lord Chancellor's appointments should have the concurrence of the Lord Chief Justice. That is not a wrecking amendment. It is anything but. As well as maintaining the independence of the legal system, the amendment reassures the overseas market that the board appointments are not political. Therefore, the amendment helps to safeguard that huge market of billions of pounds from which the UK economy benefits—nothing more, nothing less. If the Lord Chief Justice alone were to make the appointments, consumers would rightly feel that the legal services were being looked after by their own. In like manner, appointments by the Lord Chancellor alone have an air of political involvement.