The Queen has been pleased to approve the appointment of Mrs Justice Whipple as a Lady Justice of Appeal and Mr Justice William Davis and Mr Justice Snowden as Lord Justices of Appeal.

These appointments will fill vacancies which have arisen in the Court of Appeal.

Further information

The appointment of Lord and Lady Justices of the Court of Appeal are made by Her Majesty The Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister and the Lord Chancellor following the recommendation of an independent selection panel.

The selection panel was chaired by the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Burnett of Maldon. The other panel members were Sir Geoffrey Vos, the Master of the Rolls; Lord Kakkar, the Chairman of the Judicial Appointments Commission; and two lay Judicial Appointments Commissioners, Ms Sue Hoyle OBE and Ms Jane Furniss CBE.

In accordance with section 79 of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 as amended by the Crime and Courts Act 2013, the panel determined the selection process to be followed. In accordance with s10(3) of the Senior Courts Act 1981, the selection exercise was open to applicants that satisfied the judicial eligibility condition on a 7-year basis or were Judges of the High Court.

Biographical notes

Mr Justice William Davis: Called to the Bar (Inner Temple) in 1975 and took Silk in 1998. He was made a Bencher in 2007. He was appointed a Recorder in 1995, a Circuit Judge in 2008, a Senior Circuit Judge (Resident Judge) in 2009 and a High Court Judge in the Queen’s Bench Division in 2014. He was a Presiding Judge on the Northern Circuit between 2016-2019. He has been Judicial Lead for Youth Justice for England and Wales since 2014.

Mr Justice Snowden: Called to the Bar (Lincoln’s Inn) in 1986 and took Silk in 2003. He was appointed a Recorder of the Crown Court in 2006, a Deputy High Court Judge in 2008 and a High Court Judge of the Chancery Division in 2015. He has been Vice-Chancellor of the County Palatine of Lancaster and Supervising Judge of the Business and Property Courts for the Northern and North-Eastern Circuits since 2019. He was elected a Bencher of Lincoln’s Inn in 2010.

Mrs Justice Whipple: Admitted to the Roll as a solicitor in 1991. She transferred to the Bar and was called in 1994. She took Silk in 2010. She was made a Bencher of Middle Temple in 2012. She was appointed a Recorder in 2005, a deputy High Court Judge in 2013 and appointed a High Court Judge in the Queen’s Bench Division in 2015. She was a Judicial Commissioner of the Judicial Appointments Commission from 2016-2019. She has been a Presiding Judge for the South Eastern Circuit since 2018 and is currently the lead Presider on that Circuit.

People injured and the families of those killed in the attacks can apply to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) under the Victims of Overseas Terrorism Compensation Scheme 2012.

If you have been directly affected by this incident you can find out more about the Scheme and how to apply on GOV.UK. Alternatively, you can call the CICA helpline on 0300 003 3601 (+44 (0)203 684 2517 if outside the UK) or enquire via Live Chat.

You do not need a paid representative, such as a solicitor or claims management company, to apply for compensation. Free independent advice may be available from the Victim and Witness Information website or other charitable organisations. You can find out more in our guide to applying to the Scheme on GOV.UK.

A court warrant has been used today (Tuesday 31 August) to enter premises for the purposes of removing the bTB-positive alpaca known as ‘Geronimo’. The infected animal was moved from the premises and euthanised by staff from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) as a necessary measure to control the spread of bovine tuberculosis (bTB).

bTB is an infectious disease of cattle and other mammals. It is one of the most significant animal health challenges that England faces today, leaving behind devastating impacts on our farming and rural communities and costing taxpayers more than £100 million each year. In 2020 alone, more than 27,000 cattle had to be slaughtered to curb its spread.

Chief Veterinary Officer Christine Middlemiss said:

This is a terribly sad situation and our sympathies remain with all those affected by this devastating disease.

No one wants to have to cull infected animals if it can be avoided, but we need to follow the scientific evidence and cull animals that have tested positive for bTB to minimise spread of this insidious disease and ultimately eradicate the biggest threat to animal health in this country.

Not only is this essential to protect the livelihoods of our farming industry and rural communities, but it is also necessary to avoid more TB cases in humans.

A post mortem examination will now be undertaken by veterinary pathologists from the APHA. This will be followed by a bacteriological culture of selected tissue samples, which can take up to three months.

Further information on the need to eradicate bTB can be found on our APHA science blog.

The UK-Russia Arctic Science webinar series was aimed at facilitating practical links between UK-based Arctic researchers and Russia’s leading research institutions and connecting the UK Arctic science community to collaborative opportunities for future joint work across Russia despite the challenges of the pandemic. The webinar series is part of a long-standing programme of SIN-supported scientific exchanges and activities between UK and Russian Arctic research communities. Delivered jointly with multiple UK and Russian partners over the past three years, the programme has generated long-term collaborative projects, bilateral research networks, institutional partnerships involving top universities and institutes, an increase in joint publications and bespoke training opportunities for UK and Russian early career researchers.

The webinar series comprised four online events organised jointly with our partners: Yugra State University (Khanty-Mansiisk, Siberia), Tomsk State University (Tomsk, Siberia), Kola Science Centre (Apatity, the Murmansk region), and the Open Ocean Project & Association Maritime Heritage (St. Petersburg).

Each webinar was a unique opportunity to hear directly from leading researchers about ongoing and upcoming Arctic-related science projects, discover a new research institution, hear about local research facilities and opportunities for fieldwork, and learn more about Russia’s Arctic regions and what makes each of them a unique research environment.

The webinars were well-received by the research community and attracted a large audience, including early career scientists. In total around 320 people registered for the four events. A dedicated webpage was set up for each of the events with background info on the institutions and speakers and the recordings were made available online afterwards.

The webinars created time and space for UK and Russian researchers to explore opportunities for practical connections with new partners, participate in dynamic scientific discussions and engage in quality networking for future Arctic science cooperation. Discussions during the webinars demonstrated a clear mutual interest in strengthening science links further and helped research groups and institutions from both countries to establish direct channels of communication and map matching research priorities.

SIN Officers Contacts: Tatiana.Iakovleva@fcdo.gov.uk