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 in 2007, 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. The performance of the secretary of state and his department is also scrutinised by the Justice Select Committee.
Responsibilities Corresponding to what is generally known as a justice minister in many other countries, the justice secretary's remit encompasses justice policy for the whole United Kingdom along with matters of justice specific to England and Wales.
The justice secretary is responsible throughout the UK for: Human rights and civil liberties; Miscarriages of justice (via the Criminal Cases Review Commission); and The UK’s relations with the governments of the three Crown Dependencies - Guernsey, Jersey, and the Isle of Man.
In relation to England and Wales, the justice secretary's portfolio concerns the following matters: The delivery of criminal justice generally, including criminal law, criminal procedure, sentencing, probation and parole, criminal injury compensation, and victim's rights; All matters falling under civil justice, including but not limited to civil procedure, administrative law, bankruptcy and insolvency law, commercial law, contract law, family law, probate, and tort; and Administration of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service, His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service, the Parole Board, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, the Victims' Commissioner, and the Youth Justice Board.
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 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
Secretary of State Term of office Political party Government Charles Falconer, Baron Falconer of Thoroton 9 May 2007 28 June 2007 Labour Blair Jack StrawFirst non-peer to serve as Lord Chancellor since Sir Robert Henley as Lord Keeper of the Seal in 1760. 28 June 2007 6 May 2010 Brown Kenneth Clarke 12 May 2010 6 September 2012 Conservative Cameron-Clegg Chris Grayling 6 September 2012 8 May 2015 Michael Gove 8 May 2015 14 July 2016 Cameron Liz Truss 14 July 2016 11 June 2017 May David Lidington 11 June 2017 8 January 2018 May David Gauke 8 January 2018 24 July 2019 Robert Buckland 24 July 2019 15 September 2021 Johnson Johnson Dominic Raab 15 September 2021 6 September 2022 Brandon Lewis 6 September 2022 25 October 2022 Truss Dominic Raab 25 October 2022 21 April 2023Sunak Alex Chalk 21 April 2023 5 July 2024 Shabana Mahmood 5 July 2024 5 September 2025 Labour StarmerDavid Lammy5 September 202520 July 2026Alex Norris20 July 2026Incumbent Burnham
Timeline
See also Constitutional Reform Act 2005 Lord Chancellor
Notes
References
External links The Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs Order 2003 from HMSO The Ministry of Justice official website