Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice and Deputy Prime Minister

The Rt Hon David Lammy MP

Biography

David Lammy was appointed Lord Chancellor, Secretary of State for Justice and Deputy Prime Minister on 5 September 2025. He was previously Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs between 5 July 2024 and 5 September 2025. David was first elected as Labour MP for Tottenham at the age of 27 in June 2000.

David studied law at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) Law School and Harvard Law School. He was called to the Bar of England and Wales in 1995 and completed pupillage the following year at 3 Serjeants’ Inn.  

David completed an LLM (Master of Laws) at Harvard Law School in 1997 and worked at a US law firm as a barrister qualified in England and Wales and holder of a US postgraduate law degree. He returned to the UK to work at a British law firm, and upon entering Parliament in 2000 he registered as a non-practising barrister.

David was appointed the Shadow Foreign Secretary in November 2021. He was previously the Shadow Secretary of State for Justice and the Shadow Lord Chancellor.

David served as a minister in the Labour government from 2001 to 2010 and was made a Privy Councillor in 2008. He was in several departments, including the Department of Health and the Department for Constitutional Affairs. He was Culture Minister at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and Higher Education and Intellectual Property Minister at the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills.

In 2016 to 2017, David led an independent review into treatment and outcomes of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) people in the criminal justice system. He is the author of ‘Out of the ashes: Britain after the riots’ on the causes of the London 2011 riots, and ‘Tribes: how our need to belong can make or break society’ (2020).

David is on the Advisory Board for the European Council on Foreign Relations and is President of the British and Foreign School Society. He is also a Professor in Practice at London School of Economics and the School of Oriental and African Studies.

Follow the Deputy Prime Minister on social media: @DavidLammy on X/Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice

  • Oversight of all justice portfolios, policy, and Ministry of Justice strategy
  • Oversight of cross-cutting emergency  issues, responses  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)

More about this role

Ministry of Justice

Deputy Prime Minister

The Deputy Prime Minister:

  • deputises for the Prime Minister domestically and internationally, including on House of Commons business and at Prime Minister’s Questions
  • represents the Prime Minister and HM Government at leader-level internationally when the Prime Minister is unable to attend, promoting and protecting British interests overseas
  • maintains and strengthens relationships with Vice Presidents, Deputy Prime Ministers and deputy leaders of key international partners, including the United States; advancing UK strategic priorities in international engagement, including: jobs and growth, security and the rule of law, climate ambition and the transition to net zero, tackling irregular migration.
  • plays a key role on the National Security Council and cabinet committees on Domestic and Border Security, and Union and Constitution
  • leads cross-government work to reduce reoffending, bringing together the Home Office, Department of Health and Social Care, Department for Work and Pensions, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.
  • supports delivery of the government’s mission to halve knife crime, working alongside the Home Secretary
  • champions the rule of law globally, working with the Foreign Secretary, Home Secretary and Attorney General
  • with the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, helps drive a unifying story of citizenship, cohesion and the Union, including engagement across the nations and communities of the UK
  • leads work across government to improve outcomes for boys and men, convening departments and partners to deliver coordinated action

The Deputy Prime Minister is supported by an Office of Deputy Prime Minister which coordinates work across departments and supports on the delivery of the Deputy Prime Minister’s priorities.

More about this role

Ministry of Justice

Previous roles in government

  • Chair, Lammy Review
    • 2016 to 2017