It’s no secret that not all members of the Lords were desperately keen on upping sticks and moving to some new fangled Supreme Court. But former lord chief justice, Lord Phillips (pictured), was always in favour. He was conscious of the importance of a visible separation between the parliamentary chamber and the judicial court, of course. But in a speech at Gresham College last week, Phillips shed some light on a few of the other perks that have been garnered from the move. ‘Working conditions were not ideal in the law lords’ corridor, even if they were the envy of other members of the House, and our judicial assistants had to be housed in the attic, their numbers restricted by constraint of space,’ he said. But in the new court, ‘the justices are well accommodated in spacious rooms, albeit that most of these are in the attic. There is an excellent open plan office for our secretaries and judicial assistants. We have a handsome library, a well-proportioned dining room and a sitting room’.

It is always good to know that the senior judiciary has been provisioned with suitable creature comforts. But was there perhaps just the slightest hint of envy in Phillips’ observation that: ‘The grandest accommodation has been allocated to the lawyers, consisting of a suite of panelled rooms.’ More pleasant amenities are not the only improvement on the old gaff, however. Phillips also approves of the new, more media-friendly setup of the court. And it turns out he has quite a flare for playing to the gallery. He explained: ‘Where a judgment is delivered… the judge delivering [it] will prepare a short oral statement of its effect. Where the case is one of general public interest this is likely to be broadcast as part of the news.’ With uncharacteristic immodesty, he added: ‘I have become quite good at this and am at risk of turning into a TV personality.’

Quite so. Obiter looks forward to Phillips’ forthcoming jungle appearance in the next series of I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here.