diff --git a/bramble-core/src/main/java/org/briarproject/bramble/PriorityExecutor.java b/bramble-core/src/main/java/org/briarproject/bramble/PriorityExecutor.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..153beb136
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bramble-core/src/main/java/org/briarproject/bramble/PriorityExecutor.java
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+package org.briarproject.bramble;
+
+import org.briarproject.bramble.api.nullsafety.NotNullByDefault;
+
+import java.util.LinkedList;
+import java.util.Queue;
+import java.util.concurrent.Executor;
+
+import javax.annotation.concurrent.GuardedBy;
+
+@NotNullByDefault
+public class PriorityExecutor {
+
+	private final Object lock = new Object();
+	private final Executor delegate, high, low;
+	@GuardedBy("lock")
+	private final Queue<Runnable> highQueue = new LinkedList<>();
+	@GuardedBy("lock")
+	private final Queue<Runnable> lowQueue = new LinkedList<>();
+
+	@GuardedBy("lock")
+	private boolean isTaskRunning = false;
+
+	public PriorityExecutor(Executor delegate) {
+		this.delegate = delegate;
+		high = r -> submit(r, true);
+		low = r -> submit(r, false);
+	}
+
+	public Executor getHighPriorityExecutor() {
+		return high;
+	}
+
+	public Executor getLowPriorityExecutor() {
+		return low;
+	}
+
+	private void submit(Runnable r, boolean isHighPriority) {
+		Runnable wrapped = () -> {
+			try {
+				r.run();
+			} finally {
+				scheduleNext();
+			}
+		};
+		synchronized (lock) {
+			if (!isTaskRunning && highQueue.isEmpty() &&
+					(isHighPriority || lowQueue.isEmpty())) {
+				isTaskRunning = true;
+				delegate.execute(wrapped);
+			} else if (isHighPriority) {
+				highQueue.add(wrapped);
+			} else {
+				lowQueue.add(wrapped);
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	private void scheduleNext() {
+		synchronized (lock) {
+			Runnable next = highQueue.poll();
+			if (next == null) next = lowQueue.poll();
+			if (next == null) isTaskRunning = false;
+			else delegate.execute(next);
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/bramble-core/src/test/java/org/briarproject/bramble/PriorityExecutorTest.java b/bramble-core/src/test/java/org/briarproject/bramble/PriorityExecutorTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..055848546
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bramble-core/src/test/java/org/briarproject/bramble/PriorityExecutorTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,86 @@
+package org.briarproject.bramble;
+
+import org.briarproject.bramble.test.BrambleTestCase;
+import org.junit.Test;
+
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Vector;
+import java.util.concurrent.CountDownLatch;
+import java.util.concurrent.Executor;
+
+import static java.util.Arrays.asList;
+import static java.util.concurrent.Executors.newSingleThreadExecutor;
+import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
+import static org.junit.Assert.fail;
+
+public class PriorityExecutorTest extends BrambleTestCase {
+
+	@Test
+	public void testHighPriorityTasksAreDelegatedInOrderOfSubmission()
+			throws Exception {
+		Executor delegate = newSingleThreadExecutor();
+		PriorityExecutor priority = new PriorityExecutor(delegate);
+		Executor high = priority.getHighPriorityExecutor();
+		testTasksAreDelegatedInOrderOfSubmission(high);
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void testLowPriorityTasksAreDelegatedInOrderOfSubmission()
+			throws Exception {
+		Executor delegate = newSingleThreadExecutor();
+		PriorityExecutor priority = new PriorityExecutor(delegate);
+		Executor low = priority.getLowPriorityExecutor();
+		testTasksAreDelegatedInOrderOfSubmission(low);
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void testHighPriorityTasksAreRunFirst() throws Exception {
+		Executor delegate = newSingleThreadExecutor();
+		PriorityExecutor priority = new PriorityExecutor(delegate);
+		Executor high = priority.getHighPriorityExecutor();
+		Executor low = priority.getLowPriorityExecutor();
+		// Submit a task that will block, causing other tasks to be queued
+		CountDownLatch cork = new CountDownLatch(1);
+		low.execute(() -> {
+			try {
+				cork.await();
+			} catch (InterruptedException e) {
+				fail();
+			}
+		});
+		// Submit alternating tasks to the high and low priority executors
+		List<Integer> results = new Vector<>();
+		CountDownLatch tasksFinished = new CountDownLatch(10);
+		for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
+			int result = i;
+			Runnable task = () -> {
+				results.add(result);
+				tasksFinished.countDown();
+			};
+			if (i % 2 == 0) high.execute(task);
+			else low.execute(task);
+		}
+		// Release the cork and wait for all tasks to finish
+		cork.countDown();
+		tasksFinished.await();
+		// The high-priority tasks should have run before the low-priority tasks
+		assertEquals(asList(0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9), results);
+	}
+
+	private void testTasksAreDelegatedInOrderOfSubmission(Executor e)
+			throws Exception {
+		List<Integer> results = new Vector<>();
+		CountDownLatch tasksFinished = new CountDownLatch(10);
+		for (int i = 0; i < 10; i++) {
+			int result = i;
+			e.execute(() -> {
+				results.add(result);
+				tasksFinished.countDown();
+			});
+		}
+		// Wait for all the tasks to finish
+		tasksFinished.await();
+		// The tasks should have run in the order they were submitted
+		assertEquals(asList(0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9), results);
+	}
+}