Senior President of Tribunals publishes annual report for 2025

The Senior President of Tribunals has published his annual report for 2025. The section on the Upper Tribunal (IAC) notes that it “appears very likely” that workloads in the Upper Tribunal “will increase significantly” because of the increase in the number of appeals in the First-tier Tribunal “arising from government initiatives bringing increased volumes of work into the tribunals”.

The Upper Tribunal also reports that “Recently, we have welcomed MPs to Field House, providing judges and staff with the opportunity to explain the important work which UTIAC undertakes.” No indication here as to why those visits may have been particularly pertinent at this time, although in the First-tier Tribunal’s section it is noted that “IAC decisions have been subject to significant media coverage over 2025 and this has very regrettably led to a heightened level of unwarranted abuse of individual judges.”

The attacks on the judiciary also featured in the Senior President’s introduction to the report:

However this year, some judges have been subject to unwarranted media commentary, particularly in the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) (FTT(IAC)) and the Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) (UTIAC). In comments made below articles, some judges have been subjected to abusive language and explicit discriminatory abuse. The Lady Chief Justice and I have been working to deal with inaccurate reporting. The Security Taskforce, established by the Lady Chief Justice, has been taking steps to address issues of security for judges. There has also been much hard work with UTIAC, FTT(IAC) and HMCTS on security issues.

The First-tier Tribunal (IAC) wrote that having spent “intense preparation and planning” for the Illegal Migration Act 2023:

With the change in government there has been a change in policy priorities and preparation is now underway to prepare for the Border Security, Immigration and Asylum Bill 2025, including the 24-week statutory timetable, which will apply in the main to asylum appellants in supported accommodation.

In the Senior President’s section of the report, we get what is I think our first indication that the intention is for the new appeals system to begin at some point next year:

On Sunday 24 August 2025 the Home Office announced that it would establish a body of assessors to take decisions on asylum appeals. Since the announcement was made, we have been told that the Home Office intend to have some appeals heard by the body of assessors in 2027. Legislation will be required to effect any changes but there are, as yet, no drafts of any legislative provisions.

As ever, watch this space…