A high-ranking British official has outlined some of the reasons for recent U.K. judge resignations from Hong Kong's highest court, in an open letter to the local chair of the British Chamber of Commerce.

The Consulate General of the U.K.'s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development office in Hong Kong, Brian Davidson, wrote to Peter Burnett, chair of the British Chamber of Commerce (BritCham) in Hong Kong, addressing the recent resignations of U.K. Supreme Court president Lord Robert Reed and his colleague Lord Patrick Hodge from the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal (HKCFA).