Indian judge wins after ‘Brexit’

India secured its place in the International Court of Justice after Britain withdrew its candidate ahead of a second run-off poll at the UN, ending a stand-off that again threw the spotlight on privileges the P5 countries enjoyed in the Security Council.

The Narendra Modi government led the celebrations here, billing the re-election of Justice Dalveer Bhandari as a sign of India’s growing clout in the comity of nations.

The verdict was seen as evidence of the UK’s “shrivelling” presence on the world stage and a result of Brexit. This will be the first time since 1946 that the UK will not have a judge in the world court.

The UK’s permanent representative at the UN, Matthew Rycroft, announced the decision to withdraw its candidate, Sir Christopher Greenwood, from the contest, citing the “close relationship” between London and New Delhi and acknowledging that further voting was unlikely to break the deadlock.