Ministerial role

Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

Organisations: Ministry of Justice
Current role holder: The Rt Hon Alex Chalk KC

Responsibilities

  • Oversight of all portfolios and Ministry of Justice strategy
  • Oversight of departmental COVID-19 response supported by other ministers according to portfolio
  • Oversight of international business and future relations with the EU
  • MoJ support for the Union
  • Resourcing of the department
  • Functions of the Lord Chancellor
  • Judicial policy including pay, pensions and diversity (these and other operational decisions affecting the judiciary are reserved to the Lord Chancellor)
  • Corporate services

Current role holder

The Rt Hon Alex Chalk KC

Alex Chalk KC was appointed Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice on 21 April 2023. He was Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence from October 2022 to April 2023 and was formerly HM Solicitor General for England and Wales and the Prisons and Probation Minister. Alex Chalk KC was elected the Member of Parliament for Cheltenham in 2015.

Prior to being elected in 2015, Alex was a barrister and prosecuted and defended in cases concerning terrorism, international fraud, and homicide.

As Justice Minister, Alex led the Domestic Abuse Bill through the Commons. For the first time in history, the Bill includes a wide-ranging legal definition of domestic abuse which incorporates a range of abuses beyond physical violence, including emotional, coercive or controlling behaviour, and economic abuse.

During his time as Prisons Minister, Alex announced a new scheme to provide temporary, basic accommodation to prison leavers for twelve weeks as well as overhauling the unpaid work that offenders are ordered to do as part of community service.

As HM Solicitor General, Alex oversaw the work of the Law Officers’ Departments which includes the Crown Prosecution Service and Serious Fraud Office, as well as the Government Legal Department and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate.

Alex lives in Cheltenham with his wife and three young children.

Photo credit: Parliament.

More about this person

Previous holders of this role

  1. The Rt Hon Dominic Raab

    2022 to 2023

  2. The Rt Hon Brandon Lewis CBE

    2022 to 2022

  3. The Rt Hon Dominic Raab

    2021 to 2022

  4. The Rt Hon Robert Buckland KC

    2019 to 2021

  5. The Rt Hon David Gauke

    2018 to 2019

  6. The Rt Hon David Lidington CBE

    2017 to 2018

  7. The Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss

    2016 to 2017

  8. The Rt Hon Michael Gove

    2015 to 2016

  9. The Rt Hon Chris Grayling

    2012 to 2015

  10. The Rt Hon Kenneth Clarke KC

    2010 to 2012