Court of Referees
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The Court of Referees is a twelve-member committee of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, established in 1865.[1][2] It is tasked with considering the rights of a petitioner (until 2017 known as their locus standi) to argue against a private bill, in cases where the promoters of the bill have challenged that right.[1][2]
It is chaired by the Chairman of Ways and Means (the principal Deputy Speaker).[1][2] The other members are the other two Deputy Speakers, the Speaker's Counsel (the Speaker's legal adviser) and eight backbench MPs.[1][2]
Three of the court's members, or referees, form a quorum.[2] The court meets rarely;[1] Erskine May reporting in 2021 that "The court met once in 2016; prior to that meeting, it had last met in 2002".[2]