U.K.’s Supreme Court continues to assess the situation in Hong Kong and discuss with the Johnson administration, said a British minister, after a commentary run by The Times renewed calls for all 10 British judges to quit the former colony’s top court.

Lord Robert Reed, head of the Supreme Court and a non-permanent judge in Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal, said earlier this month that the Supreme Court would work with foreign minister Dominic Raab as well as the Secretary of State for Justice to review the arrangements on sending British judges to serve in Hong Kong.

Asked about the progress of discussion in the parliament on Monday, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, the Minister of State for South Asia and the Commonwealth, said British judges have long been playing an important role in supporting the independence of Hong Kong’s judiciary and they “want and hope this can continue.”

“However, the national security law poses real questions for the rule of law in Hong Kong and the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms promised by China under the Joint Declaration,” he said.

He noted that the Supreme Court continues to access the situation in Hong Kong and work closely with the U.K. government.

Lord Reed said last week that he will resign from Hong Kong’s top court if the city’s judicial independence is undermined or if it reaches a point that the U.K. judges can no longer “serve with good conscience.”

However, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said his use of “if” confirmed that the judicial independence or the judges’ decisions have not been interfered by the administrative power.

Calls for the British judges to stand down have been growing in light of Beijing’s tightening grip on Hong Kong. The Times’ article, which urged the judges to resign en masse, said “their involvement in the justice system provides a welcome gloss of legitimacy, which is critical to Hong Kong’s continued functioning as an international financial center.”

Click here for Chinese version

---------------------------------

Apple Daily’s all-new English Edition is now available on the mobile app: bit.ly/2yMMfQE

To download the latest version,

iOS: bit.ly/AD_iOS

Android: bit.ly/AD_android

Or search Appledaily in App Store or Google Play