The Government is locked on a collision course with senior members of the judiciary after the Lord Chief Justice told Parliament yesterday (23 May) the two camps remained "poles apart" over the role of the controversial Ministry of Justice (MoJ).

Lord Phillips, speaking to the House of Commons constitutional affairs select committee on behalf of the judiciary, said parameters set down by the Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer, had made it impossible to strike a deal safeguarding judges' independence from the new ministry.

He warned that court funding, which now falls under the remit of the MoJ, would be swallowed up by the prisons service and repeated calls for resources to be ring-fenced to protect the judiciary from interference.

Lord Falconer was criticised for refusing to launch an independent inquiry, while Lord Phillips could now offer a written representation to Parliament expressing judges' concerns.

Committee chairman Alan Beith MP told Lord Falconer: "I've been in Parliament for 34 years and I don't think I've ever seen such clear anger and concern on the part of the judiciary."

Lord Holme, who chairs the constitutional committee of the House of Lords, said: "Rather than 'daring' the Lord Chief Justice and his colleagues to put the matter before Parliament – the so-called 'nuclear option' – the Lord Chancellor and his officials should be locked in a room with the senior judiciary until they mutually agree appropriate safeguards."

He added: "It is time the Government learned to treat the other branches of government with respect, rather than in the cavalier way we have seen in this instance."