Since May 2010, 12 individuals have held the post of Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor. Here is the list. (Dominic Raab held the post twice).
The most recent change occurred on 5 September following the resignation from government of Angela Rayner MP (who was Deputy Prime Minister). Rayner's departure spurred the Prime Minister (Sir Keir Starmer) into a major 'reshuffle' of ministerial posts. One of the moves was to appoint David Lammy MP as Deputy Prime Minister and to move the Justice Secretary (Shabana Mahmood MP) to the Home Office.
Ever since the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 section 2, the Lord Chancellor need not have legal qualifications but that is not the case with either Mahmood or Lammy.
Shabana Mahmood studied law at
Oxford University and was called to the Bar in 2003. For a time she practised in professional indemnity law. David Lammy is also a law graduate (from University of London) and was called to the Bar in 1994. He took a further law degree at Harvard Law School and practised (1997 - 2000) as an attorney in the USA.Mahmood's time as Justice Secretary was marked by a scheme to deal with prison overcrowding (post of 12 July 2024) and the appointment of Sir Brian Leveson to conduct an Independent Review of the Criminal Courts (post of 15 July 2025), She also intervened when the Sentencing Council proposed new guidelines about pre-sentence reports (post of 22 May 2025). Her most recent notable action was on 2 September when she introduced the Sentencing Bill to Parliament. This is intended to implement the findings of David Gauke’s independent sentencing review (post of 22 May 2025).
When Labour were in Opposition, David Lammy produced a report in 2017. The report is available (HERE) and see previous post 30 June 2020. Notably, the report said - 'Our justice system is built on the principle that the law will be applied impartially. In the cases that involve the greatest harm to victims and the longest sentences for offenders, juries are the guardians of this principle. Our jury system may be centuries old, but it is still fit for purpose today.'
Naturally, it will be interesting to see how, in the light of such views, Lammy handles the recommendations in Leveson's report on the Criminal Courts which, if enacted, will markedly reduce jury trial in England and Wales.
This is not a political blog but it is worth noting some of the considerable legislative action taken by Angela Rayner prior to her departure from government. In her resignation letter (BBC News 5 September) she mentions four major Bills:
English Devolution and Community Empowerment
Leaving aside the politics, Rayner's departure came about because of an issue with the amount of Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) payable on the purchase of a flat in Hove. In law (Finance Act 2003 Part 4), it had to be regarded as a second home because of a trust concerning a house in Ashton-under-Lyne. To say the least, tax law is complicated and the salutary lesson is to take expert advice from taxation specialists.
6 September 2025
Addition 7 September 2025 - New Solicitor General
Ellie Reeves MP has been appointed Solicitor General - (Government UK). She replaces Lucy Rigby KC MP who has been moved to the Treasury (as Economic Secretary). Lord Hermer KC remains as Attorney General.
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