She’s not fit to be Lord Chancellor – Mellor blasts Truss

LORD Chancellor Liz Truss bowed to mounting pressure last night to defend judges after an astonishing attack on her by David Mellor in the wake of the Brexit ruling.

Ms Truss broke her silence to say the independence of the judiciary was the ‘foundation upon which our rule of law is built’.

Earlier Mr Mellor – a pro-Brexit former Cabinet Minister – said she was unfit to be Lord Chancellor. He said on LBC radio: ‘In my day as a Minister under Margaret Thatcher and John Major, we were strictly forbidden to criticise the courts.

‘As for Liz Truss, I have to tell you something. I’m a QC. When I was practising the law, the Lord Chancellor was a hugely respected legal figure like Lord Hailsham.

‘I am sure she is a delightful girl, kind to animals, helps old ladies across the road, but she shouldn’t be anywhere near being Lord Chancellor. She has no qualifications for the job, she is not legally trained. It’s a big job. You have got a 40-year-old who’s never done anything legal, has no real knowledge of the law.’

Anti-Brexit ex-Tory Minister Anna Soubry also tore into Ms Truss, accusing her of putting out a ‘sanitised, No10 statement’ which did not defend the judges.

That was despite the fact Ms Truss ‘swore an oath’ to defend the judiciary when she took office, Ms Soubry said. ‘As a former barrister, I’m embarrassed and appalled,’ she added.

Ms Truss, 41, had faced growing anger from MPs and law experts at her failure to defend the three senior judges who delivered last week’s ruling that Parliament must have a vote on triggering the UK’s exit from the EU. The judges came in for a barrage of attacks from pro-Brexit MPs, newspapers and social media for ‘defying the referendum result’.

Ms Truss, who is also Justice Secretary, said: ‘The independence of the judiciary is the foundation upon which our rule of law is built and rightly respected the world over for its independence and impartiality. In relation to the case heard in the High Court, the Government has made it clear it will appeal to the Supreme Court. Legal process must be followed.’

Former Attorney General Dominic Grieve compared some UK press coverage of the verdict to ‘Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe’.

Last night, one Truss ally said: ‘It’s most unfair to criticise Liz in this way. She’s treading a tightrope between representing the judiciary and serving in a government which thinks this court decision is wrong and should be over-turned.’