The Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, Brandon Lewis, unveiled the foundation stones at the construction site today (18 October 2022).

The City of London Law courts will be a modern, efficient and flexible centre for London’s legal services, providing a total of 18 hearing rooms, an increase of 10 on the courts they will replace in 2026. This consists of 8 Crown, six civil and four magistrates’ courtrooms. The court will focus on high-level fraud, cyber and economic crime.

It forms part of wider HM Courts and Tribunals Service estate investment, with £105 million spent during 2021 to 2022 to transform courts and tribunals across England and Wales.

Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, Brandon Lewis, said:

The City of London Law courts represent a vision of how justice will work in future – with modern, innovative and flexible courts in fit for purpose buildings.

The Salisbury Square development symbolises our place as one of the leading centres for business, law and justice as we ensure that the UK remains attractive to global business and investment.

The court’s foundation stone is the first in the courts estate to be laid under the reign of King Charles III and the first to be inscribed with ‘KC’ – ‘King’s Counsel’ – in over 70 years.

Developed by The City of London Corporation, Salisbury Square creates a new civic quarter in the Square Mile, bringing together first-class legal and law enforcement facilities. It will generate 400 new jobs and support 2,100 more, enhancing the UK’s reputation as a global destination for business and investment. Once complete, it will see millions invested into the City of London’s economy, thanks to the global appeal of the UK’s legal services.

Policy Chairman at the City of London Corporation, Chris Hayward, said:

Fraud is now the most common crime in the UK, costing the economy billions every year and causing misery for businesses and individuals.

By strengthening our capability to crack down on economic crime, we will enhance the City’s reputation as a world-leading location to do business and keep consumers across the UK safe from fraud.

The Salisbury Square Development will play a vital role in ensuring we can adapt to the changing demands of policing and delivering justice, supporting the UK economy and helping attract international business.

The new building will provide ease of access for all those that use the court, from legal professionals to victims. Facilities will include lifts and wide corridors that provide access for wheelchair users, helping to ensure there are as few barriers as possible for people with disabilities or limited mobility.

The court will be fitted out with all available courtroom technology, with screens and cameras enabling courtrooms to seamlessly transmit and receive video evidence with other court locations.

The court complex has a lifespan of 125 years – triple the design life of a typical building – and sustainability is at the core of its construction, with the new court to run on clean energy sources. It will include an all-electric heating and cooling system provided by 300 metre deep thermal piles to store summer heat below ground for reuse in the winter months. The highly insulated external facades reduce the winter energy demand whilst façade solar shading reduces the cooling required in the summer. Materials will be reclaimed from the buildings that have been demolished for reuse in the new construction.

Designed by Eric Parry Architects, Salisbury Square also includes a new headquarters for the City of London Police, as well as a commercial building. The development will rejuvenate its historic surroundings, forming a gathering place for people to enjoy with outdoor seating and new shops, bars and restaurants.

Nuclear Waste Services’ (NWS) Chief Policy Advisor Bruce Cairns and Sky News joined Finland’s Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) developer Posiva on a visit to the first underground repository for disposing of nuclear waste. 

Nestled 400 metres below ground in Southwest Finland, the ONKALO facility is the world’s first underground repository for spent nuclear waste.

Chief Policy Advisor, Bruce Cairns, recently paid a visit to the site alongside Thomas Moore, Science and Medical Correspondent at Sky News, to see the progress being made.

Inside the world’s first nuclear waste tomb in Finland

Talking to Sky News Bruce outlined the importance of delivering a similar facility in the UK .

“We have to take action to make sure this is managed responsibly, not just for now, but for the long-term. We have 70 years’ worth of waste in the UK, it’s already accumulated from energy production, defence, industrial processes and it’s not going anywhere unless we do something with it.”

Geological disposal is internationally recognised as a safe and secure way to dispose of higher-activity radioactive waste. Other countries, such as Sweden, France, Canada, Switzerland, and Japan – as well as Finland – are also making great strides in developing their own GDF programmes.

A GDF involves a series of highly engineered vaults and tunnels located up to 1,000 metres deep in a suitable rock formation. Combined with man-made barriers, this protects the environment and keeps the waste safe and secure while the radioactivity decays naturally to safe levels.

Four communities are already engaged in a dialogue with NWS on whether hosting a Geological Disposal Facility would work for them. Community Partnerships have formed in Mid Copeland, South Copeland, and Allerdale in Cumbria, and Theddlethorpe in Lincolnshire.

This nationwide process is based on community consent and includes detailed investigations over a number of years to ensure a GDF can be constructed safely and securely.

To learn more about GDF and for more information about progress, please read the GDF Annual Report.

Published 14 April 2022
Last updated 18 October 2022 + show all updates

Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second approved the appointment of three new non-executive directors (NEDs) of the Court of the Bank of England. These appointments will be made by the King.

The new NEDs will take up their roles at the Bank’s Court in the coming months for terms lasting four years.

The Bank’s Court acts as the governing body responsible for setting the organisation’s strategy, budget and taking key decisions on resourcing and appointments. The Court is not responsible for the matters reserved to the Bank’s main policy committees, the Monetary Policy Committee, the Financial Policy Committee and Prudential Regulation Committee.

Jeremy Hunt, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, said:

“I am delighted to be able to announce the appointment of Lord Jitesh Gadhia, Sabine Chalmers and Tom Shropshire. Each of them will bring immense skill and experience to the Bank’s Court.

“I look forward to continuing to work closely with the Bank’s leadership, and remain fully committed to its independence.”

Andrew Bailey, Governor of the Bank of England, said:

“I am very pleased to welcome Lord Jitesh Gadhia, Sabine Chalmers and Tom Shropshire as non-executive directors of Court. Their varied experiences make them invaluable additions to Court and the running of the Bank. I look forward to working with them all.”

David Roberts, incoming Chair of Court, said:

“I am delighted to welcome Jitesh, Tom and Sabine to the Bank’s Court of Directors. They will bring fresh insights, deep wisdom and wide experience to help Court fulfil its role of promoting the good of the people of the United Kingdom.”

About the appointments

The Bank of England is the central bank of the UK. It is governed by the board of directors known as the Court of Directors. Further information can be found at the Bank of England website.

All members of the Court are appointed by the Crown on the recommendation of the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

All appointments to the Court are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process.

These appointments are regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments, who provides independent assurance that appointments are made in accordance with the Government’s Principles of Public Appointments and Governance Code.

About Lord Jitesh Gadhia

Lord Jitesh Gadhia has over 25 years of investment banking and financial services experience, having held senior positions at Blackstone, Barclays Capital, ABN AMRO and Baring Brothers. Lord Gadhia currently serves on the boards of Rolls-Royce Holdings plc, Taylor Wimpey plc and Compare The Market Limited. He previously served on the boards of UK Financial Investments Limited (UKFI) and UK Government Investments Limited (UKGI).

About Sabine Chalmers

Sabine Chalmers is general counsel, company secretary, and director of regulatory affairs at BT. Sabine was previously chief legal and corporate affairs officer and company secretary of Anheuser-Busch InBev. Sabine is currently a non-executive director at Anheuser-Busch InBev and has also served as a non-executive director at Coty.

About Tom Shropshire

Tom Shropshire is the general counsel and company secretary of Diageo plc. Prior to this, he was a partner at Linklaters LLP, where he was global head of the US Practice, founder and co-head of the Risk and Resilience Practice and a member of their executive committee.

In accordance with the original Nolan principles, there is a requirement for appointees’ political activity (if any is declared) to be made public. Lord Jitesh Gadhia was appointed as a Conservative Peer in 2016 and he became a non-affiliated member of the House of Lords in February 2017. Sabine Chalmers and Tom Shropshire have confirmed they have not engaged in any political activity in the last five years.