Secretary of State for Justice
United Kingdom Secretary of State for Justice | |
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Arms of Her Majesty's Government | |
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Ministry of Justice | |
Style |
The Right Honourable (Formal prefix) Justice Secretary |
Appointer | Elizabeth II |
Inaugural holder | Charles Falconer |
Formation | 9 May 2007 |
Deputy | Minister of State for Justice |
Website | www.justice.gov.uk/ |
This article is part of the series: Courts of England and Wales |
Law of England and Wales |
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Criminal courts |
Criminal prosecution |
Legal profession |
Her Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Justice is a senior position in the cabinet of the United Kingdom, held in conjunction with the office of Lord Chancellor since it was created in 2007, replacing the former post of Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs. On 9 May 2007, the Department for Constitutional Affairs was abolished, and a Ministry of Justice was created in its place. The Ministry of Justice is also responsible for certain functions transferred from the Home Office.
The then Lord Chancellor, Charles Falconer, was appointed to the post of Secretary of State for Justice on the abolition of his position as Secretary of State 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 General Election of 11 May 2010. He was replaced by Conservative MP Kenneth Clarke. In the Cabinet reshuffle of August 2012 Chris Grayling MP was promoted to Lord Chancellor and, by convention, Secretary of State for Justice. After the 2015 UK General election, the position was given to former Government Chief Whip Michael Gove MP. Michael Gove was sacked after Theresa May became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on 14 July 2016 and succeeded by Elizabeth Truss.
List of Secretaries of State
Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairsand Lord Chancellor | |||||||
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Name | Portrait | Term of office | Political party | Prime Minister | |||
Lord Falconer of Thoroton |
12 June 2003 | 8 May 2007 | Labour | Tony Blair | |||
Secretary of State for Justiceand Lord Chancellor | |||||||
Name | Portrait | Term of office | Political party | Prime Minister | |||
Lord Falconer of Thoroton |
9 May 2007 | 27 June 2007 | Labour | Tony Blair | |||
Jack Straw[1] | 28 June 2007 | 11 May 2010 | Labour | Gordon Brown | |||
Kenneth Clarke | 12 May 2010 | 4 September 2012 | Conservative | David Cameron (I) | |||
Chris Grayling | 4 September 2012 | 9 May 2015 | Conservative | ||||
Michael Gove | 9 May 2015 | 14 July 2016 | Conservative | David Cameron (II) | |||
Elizabeth Truss | 14 July 2016 | Incumbent | Conservative | Theresa May |
See also
Notes
- ↑ First non-peer to serve as Lord Chancellor since Sir Robert Henley as Lord Keeper of the Seal in 1760.
External links
- The Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs Order 2003 from HMSO
- The Ministry of Justice official website