Secretary of State for Justice
Secretary of State for Justice | |
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Ministry of Justice | |
Style | Justice Secretary (informal) The Right Honourable (UK and the Commonwealth) |
Status | Secretary of state Minister of the Crown |
Member of | Cabinet Privy Council |
Reports to | The Prime Minister |
Seat | Westminster |
Appointer | The Crown on advice of the Prime Minister |
Inaugural holder | The Lord Falconer |
Formation | 9 May 2007 |
Deputy | Minister of State for Justice |
Website | www |
This article is part of the series: Courts of England and Wales |
Law of England and Wales |
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The secretary of state for justice, also referred to as the justice secretary, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for the Ministry of Justice. The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom, second in the ministerial ranking, immediately after the Prime Minister.[1] Since the office's inception, the incumbent has concurrently been appointed Lord Chancellor.
The office holder works alongside the other Justice ministers. The corresponding shadow minister is the shadow secretary of state for justice, and the performance of the Secretary of State is also scrutinised by the Justice Select Committee.[2]
The current secretary of state for justice is Dominic Raab since his appointment by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in September 2021.
Responsibilities[]
Corresponding to what is generally known as a justice minister in many other countries, the Justice Secretary's remit includes:
- Her Majesty's Prison Service in England and Wales
- Matters of probation
- Oversight of the Judiciaries of the United Kingdom[3]
Creation[]
The then Lord Chancellor, Lord Falconer of Thoroton, was appointed to the post of Secretary of State for Justice when it was created in 2007. The office of the secretary of state for constitutional affairs was abolished, along with the Department for Constitutional Affairs. The Home Secretary, John Reid, told Parliament that future secretaries of state for justice would be MPs rather than peers. Jack Straw took over this department on 28 June 2007, following the selection of Gordon Brown as leader of the Labour Party and prime minister and left office on the resignation of Gordon Brown after the May 2010 general election. He was replaced by Conservative MP Ken Clarke.
In the Cabinet reshuffle of August 2012 Chris Grayling was promoted to Lord Chancellor, and, by convention, Secretary of State for Justice. Grayling was the first Lord Chancellor to have no legal background. After the 2015 general election, the position was given to former Government Chief Whip Michael Gove. Michael Gove was replaced after Theresa May became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on 14 July 2016 and succeeded by Liz Truss. Following the 2017 general election, which resulted in a minority Conservative government, David Lidington was appointed Secretary of State for Justice, who in turn was succeeded by David Gauke on 8 January 2018 and by Robert Buckland on 24 July 2019.
List of secretaries of state[]
* Incumbent's length of term last updated: 29 December 2021.
See also[]
Notes[]
- ^ First non-peer to serve as Lord Chancellor since Sir Robert Henley as Lord Keeper of the Seal in 1760.
References[]
- ^ "Her Majesty's Government: The Cabinet". parliament.uk. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
- ^ "Michael Gove questioned on work of Secretary of State". parliament.uk. 9 July 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
The Justice Committee holds a one-off session with Michael Gove MP, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, on the work of the Secretary of State for Justice.
- ^ "Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice". gov.uk.
- ^ "Lord Falconer of Thoroton". UK Parliament. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
- ^ "Rt Hon Jack Straw". UK Parliament. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
- ^ "Lord Clarke of Nottingham". UK Parliament. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
- ^ "Rt Hon Chris Grayling MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
- ^ "Rt Hon Michael Gove MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
- ^ "Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
- ^ "Rt Hon Sir David Lidington". UK Parliament. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
- ^ "The Rt Hon David Lidington CBE". GOV.UK.
- ^ "Rt Hon David Gauke". UK Parliament. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
- ^ "Rt Hon Robert Buckland MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
- ^ "Rt Hon Dominic Raab MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
External links[]
- Lists of government ministers of the United Kingdom
- Secretaries of State for Constitutional Affairs
- Ministerial offices in the United Kingdom
- Secretaries of State for Justice
- 2007 establishments in the United Kingdom