Secretary of State for Justice


The Secretary of State for Justice, also referred to as the Justice Secretary, is a senior Minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and head of the Ministry of Justice. The office forms part of the British Cabinet. Since it was created, the Justice Secretary also holds the office of Lord Chancellor in conjunction.
The current Secretary of State for Justice is Robert Buckland, MP. since his appointment by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in July 2019

Responsibilities

Corresponding to what is generally known as a justice minister in many other countries, the Justice Secretary's remit includes:
The then Lord Chancellor, Charlie Falconer, 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. He was the first Lord Chancellor to have no legal background or expertise. 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.

List of Secretaries of State

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