Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice | Vacant |
| Shadow Secretary of State for Justice | Vacant |
| Department | Ministry of Justice |
| Reports to | The Prime Minister |
| Member of | Cabinet |
| Appointed by | The Sovereign, on the advice of the Prime Minister |
| Seat | 102 Petty France, London, SW1H 9AJ |
| Shadowed by | Shadow Secretary of State for Justice |
The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice is the minister in charge of the Ministry of Justice, responsible for the courts, prisons, probation and the justice system. The office holder is a member of the Cabinet and is appointed by The Sovereign on the advice of the Prime Minister.
History
The Lord Chancellor is one of the oldest offices of state, going back over a thousand years. On taking office the Lord Chancellor swears an oath to respect the rule of law, defend the independence of the judiciary and make sure the courts have the resources they need. In UKOGB the justice system is run day to day by HM Courts and Tribunals Service, the Crown Prosecution Service and the Police Service, and the Justice Secretary answers for it in Parliament.
Role
The Secretary of State for Justice leads the Ministry of Justice. They decide the department's policy within the government's programme, defend its budget, answer questions about it in the House of Commons, and bring forward the bills it needs through Parliament. Like every Cabinet minister, they are bound by collective responsibility: once the Cabinet has decided something, all its members must support it in public or resign.
On the UKOGB website the Secretary of State for Justice is the head of the department. They can edit its page, choose who works there and post its announcements, and they get the Cabinet and HM Government roles in the Discord server.
Opposition counterpart
The Shadow Cabinet includes a Shadow Secretary of State for Justice, chosen by the Leader of the Opposition. The shadow minister questions the Secretary of State for Justice in the Commons, responds to the department's announcements and sets out what the Opposition would do instead.
See also
This page was last edited on 3 November 2026.