AN MP who repeatedly called for the retirement age of judges and magistrates to be raised to 75 has welcomed confirmation it will be made law – and those forced to retire at 70 will be allowed back to work.

Shipley MP Philip Davies wanted the age increased in line with that of jurors and had been calling on Government to act.

He said: “The Government previously increased the age limit for jurors to 75 and I said at the time the change needed to apply to judges and magistrates as well.

"There is no difference between being a juror and determining someone’s guilt or innocence in a serious criminal trial or ruling over the court.

"The only thing achieved by forcing magistrates and judges to retire at 70 is losing wealth of experience these people offered.

“I am delighted common sense has prevailed finally and I hope this passes through the Commons without any objections.

"It will get my full backing and I hope colleagues will also see the benefits of ensuring we have the best judges and magistrates ruling over our courts, regardless of age, so we can ensure criminals are sent to prison and the public protected.”

Today, the government introduced The Public Services Pension and Judicial Offices Bill in the House of Lords, which will change the Mandatory Retirement Age (MRA).

In a letter to the Shipley MP, Justice Minister Chris Philp set out the provision of the Bill and thanked Mr Davies for campaigning on the issue.

The letter said: “Thank you for your tireless efforts to highlight the resourcing challenges facing the judiciary and the need to review the MRA.

"I hope the inclusion of the MRA measures in this Bill is welcome news, and I would appreciate your support during the Bill’s passage in the House of Commons.”

The government will set out in the coming months how judges can return to work and officials at the Ministry of Justice will also be contacting retired magistrates inviting them to re-join the bench if they wish.