Secretary of State for Justice

Member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom

This article is about the United Kingdom government cabinet minister. For the Spanish minister, see Secretary of State for Justice (Spain).

United Kingdom
Secretary of State for Justice

Royal Arms of His Majesty's Government

Incumbent
Shabana Mahmood

since 5 July 2024

Ministry of Justice
Style| Justice Secretary
(informal)
The Right Honourable
(within the UK and Commonwealth)
Type| Minister of the Crown
Status| Secretary of State
Member of|

* Cabinet
* Privy Council

Reports to| The Prime Minister
Seat| Westminster
Nominator| The Prime Minister
Appointer| The Monarch
(on the advice of the Prime Minister)
Term length| At His Majesty's Pleasure
Precursor| Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs
Formation| 9 May 2007
First holder| The Lord Falconer
Salary| £159,038 per annum (2022)[1]
(including £86,584 MP salary)[2]
Website| Official Website
This article is part of the series: Courts of England and Wales

Law of England and Wales

Administration

* Ministry of Justice
* Lord Chancellor
* His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service
* Judges' Council

Civil and family courts

* Supreme Court of the United Kingdom
* Privy Council
* Court of Appeal
* Master of the Rolls
* Court of Appeal judge
* High Court of Justice
* President of the King's Bench
* President of the Family Division
* Chancellor of the High Court
* High Court judge
* County Court
* List of County Court venues
* County Court Business Centre
* District judge
* Family Court
* Court of Protection
* Court of Chivalry

Criminal courts

* Supreme Court of the United Kingdom
* Court of Appeal
* Lord Chief Justice
* Court of Appeal judge
* High Court of Justice
* President of the King's Bench
* High Court judge
* Crown Court
* List of Crown Court venues
* Circuit judge
* Recorder
* Magistrates' courts
* District judge
* Justice of the peace / lay magistrates

Criminal prosecution

* Attorney General
* Director of Public Prosecutions
* Crown Prosecution Service

Legal profession

* Bar Council
* Barrister
* Law Society of England and Wales
* Solicitor
* Solicitor advocate

* v
* t
* e

The secretary of state for justice 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. Since the office's inception, the incumbent has concurrently been appointed Lord Chancellor.

The officeholder 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.[3]

## Responsibilities

[edit]

According to what is generally known as a justice minister in many other countries, the justice secretary's remit includes:

* His Majesty's Prison Service in England and Wales
* Matters of probation
* The UK’s relations with the governments of the Crown Dependencies (Guernsey, Jersey, and the Isle of Man)

## Creation

[edit]

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.

## List of secretaries of state

[edit]

For Lord Chancellors before 2003, see List of Lord Chancellors and Lord Keepers. For Secretaries of State between 2003 and 2007, see Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs.

Secretary of State  | Term of office  | Political party  | Government

|
|
|

| Charles Falconer,
Baron Falconer of Thoroton[4] | 9 May 2007  | 28 June 2007  |  | Labour | Blair
(III)
| Jack Straw[n 1][5]
MP for Blackburn | 28 June 2007  | 6 May 2010  |  | Brown
| Kenneth Clarke[6]
MP for Rushcliffe | 12 May 2010  | 6 September 2012 |  | Conservative | Cameron-Clegg
(Coalition)
| Chris Grayling[7]
MP for Epsom and Ewell | 6 September 2012 | 8 May 2015  |
| Michael Gove[8]
MP for Surrey Heath | 8 May 2015  | 14 July 2016  |  | Cameron
(II)
| Liz Truss[9]
MP for South West Norfolk | 14 July 2016  | 11 June 2017  |  | May
(I)
| David Lidington[10][11]
MP for Aylesbury | 11 June 2017  | 8 January 2018 |  | May
(II)
| David Gauke[12]
MP for South West Hertfordshire | 8 January 2018 | 24 July 2019 |
| Robert Buckland[13]
MP for South Swindon | 24 July 2019 | 15 September 2021 |  | Johnson
(I)
Johnson
(II)
| Dominic Raab[14]
MP for Esher and Walton | 15 September 2021 | 6 September 2022  |
| Brandon Lewis
MP for Great Yarmouth | 6 September 2022  | 25 October 2022  |  | Truss
| Dominic Raab
MP for Esher and Walton | 25 October 2022  | 21 April 2023  |  | Sunak
| Alex Chalk
MP for Cheltenham | 21 April 2023  | 5 July 2024  |
| Shabana Mahmood
MP for Birmingham Ladywood | 5 July 2024  | Incumbent |  | Labour | Starmer

## Timeline

[edit]

## See also

[edit]

* Constitutional Reform Act 2005
* Lord Chancellor

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ First non-peer to serve as Lord Chancellor since Sir Robert Henley as Lord Keeper of the Seal in 1760.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Salaries of Members of His Majesty's Government – Financial Year 2022–23" (PDF). 15 December 2022.
2. ^ "Pay and expenses for MPs". parliament.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
3. ^ "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."
4. ^ "Lord Falconer of Thoroton". UK Parliament. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
5. ^ "Rt Hon Jack Straw". UK Parliament. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
6. ^ "Lord Clarke of Nottingham". UK Parliament. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
7. ^ "Rt Hon Chris Grayling MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
8. ^ "Rt Hon Michael Gove MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
9. ^ "Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
10. ^ "Rt Hon Sir David Lidington". UK Parliament. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
11. ^ "The Rt Hon David Lidington CBE". GOV.UK.
12. ^ "Rt Hon David Gauke". UK Parliament. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
13. ^ "Rt Hon Robert Buckland MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 27 August 2021.
14. ^ "Rt Hon Dominic Raab MP". UK Parliament. Retrieved 25 September 2021.

## External links

[edit]

* The Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs Order 2003 from HMSO
* The Ministry of Justice official website

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* t
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Secretaries of State for Justice of the United Kingdom

Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain
Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs
2003–2007|

* Falconer

Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain
Secretary of State for Justice
2007–present|

* Falconer
* Straw
* Clarke
* Grayling
* Gove
* Truss
* Lidington
* Gauke
* Buckland
* Raab
* Lewis
* Raab
* Chalk
* Mahmood

* v
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* e

Ministry of Justice

Headquarters: 102 Petty France, Westminster

Ministers|

* Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor
* Minister of State for Courts and Legal Services
* Minister of State for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending
* Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice
* Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sentencing
* Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Victims

Executive agencies|

* Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority
* HM Courts and Tribunals Service
* HM Prison Service
* Legal Aid Agency
* Office of the Public Guardian
* Probation Service

Non-departmental
public bodies|

* Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service
* Civil Justice Council
* Criminal Cases Review Commission
* Independent monitoring board
* Judicial Appointments Commission
* Law Commission
* Legal Services Board
* Parole Board for England and Wales
* Prisons and Probation Ombudsman
* Sentencing Council
* Youth Justice Board

Other organisations|

* Crown Office

Significant
former agencies|

* Administrative Justice and Tribunals Council
* HM Courts Service
* Legal Services Commission
* Tribunals Service
* Sentencing Guidelines Council

* v
* t
* e

UK cabinet portfolios

Cabinet of the United Kingdom

Cabinet ministers|

* Prime Minister / First Lord of the Treasury / Minister for the Union / Minister for the Civil Service
* Deputy Prime Minister / Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary
* Chancellor of the Exchequer
* Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Secretary
* Home Secretary
* Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
* Defence Secretary
* Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary
* Justice Secretary / Lord Chancellor
* Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary
* Health and Social Care Secretary
* Lord President of the Council / Leader of the House of Commons
* Leader of the House of Lords / Lord Privy Seal
* Business and Trade Secretary / President of the Board of Trade
* Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary
* Work and Pensions Secretary
* Education Secretary / Minister for Women and Equalities
* Transport Secretary
* Culture, Media and Sport Secretary
* Northern Ireland Secretary
* Scottish Secretary
* Welsh Secretary

Also attending Cabinet|

* Chief Whip / Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury
* Chief Secretary to the Treasury
* Attorney General for England and Wales / Advocate General for Northern Ireland
* Minister of State for International Development

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