Lords Collins and Sumption, former justices of the UK Supreme Court, announced their resignations yesterday.

Lord Collins of Mapesbury said: “I have resigned from the Court of Final Appeal because of the political situation in Hong Kong, but I continue to have the fullest confidence in the court and the total independence of its members.”

Of the eight remaining judges, three are from the UK.

The judges are paid about £40,000 per visit and fly into Hong Kong to hear certain cases. In recent years, however, the Chinese government has tightened its grip on Hong Kong, leading to calls for the judges to resign.

Hong Kong’s chief executive, John Lee, expressed “regret” at the resignations. He said: “Hong Kong has transitioned from chaos to order. That did not change the human rights and freedoms enjoyed by citizens in accordance with the law. Nor did it change the courts’ exercise of independent judicial power, free from any interference.”

A spokesperson for the Hong Kong judiciary said: “Chief Justice Andrew Cheung of the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal notes with regret the resignations of Lord Collins of Mapesbury and Lord Sumption as non-permanent judges of the Hong Kong court of final appeal.”

The spokesperson added that Collins and Sumption “have made valuable contributions to the work of the court for which we in Hong Kong are very grateful”.

“The chief justice has complete confidence that the CFA will continue to fully perform its constitutional role as the final appellate court in Hong Kong. Its operation will not be affected by any change in membership of the court.”

Alyssa Fong of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation welcomed the news. She said: “No foreign judges should continue to give any form of credibility to the Hong Kong courts and authoritarian crackdown.”