The head of the civil judiciary has been named as the next Supreme Court president.

Lord Neuberger's appointment as the most senior judge in the UK was confirmed on Thursday. He will be sworn in on October 1, succeeding Lord Phillips.

Lord Neuberger, 64, is the brother-in-law of Baroness Neuberger, senior rabbi of the Reform's flagship West London congregation.

The former David Neuberger began his career working for N M Rothschild and was called to the bar in 1974. In 1996 he became a Chancery division judge and an Appeal Court judge in 2007. Two years later he was named Master of the Rolls.

Although he was critical of the decision to abolish the role of the House of Lords as the UK's most senior court, he said he was committed to his new place at the helm of the supreme court.

He said: "I will do my best to ensure that it continues to play its proper role in upholding the rule of law, and applying and developing the law in a coherent and principled and practical way, appropriate for today's world."