A British judge of Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal has resigned, making him the latest foreign justice to leave the apex court this year, according to reports.

A record fifth foreign judge will leave Hong Kong’s top court this year, further thinning the ranks of overseas jurists whose presence was seen as a selling point for foreign companies looking to do business in the Asian finance hub.

An 86-year-old British judge has stepped down from Hong Kong’s top court at the end of his term, becoming the fifth foreign justice to do so this year. But the judiciary issued assurances that the Court of Final Appeal’s daily operations would not be affected by the recent personnel changes,