Constitutional Reform Act 2005
On 12 June 2003 the Government announced that the office of Lord Chancellor would be abolished and the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords would be replaced by a new Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.
These measures were designed to emphasise the separation of powers in the constitution of the United Kingdom, as well as the independence of the judiciary.
The Supreme Court was formally established by commencement of the relevant sections of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005, and will sit for the first time in October 2009.