View source for Secretary of State for Justice

{{short description|Member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom}}
{{about|the United Kingdom government cabinet minister|the Spanish minister|Secretary of State for Justice (Spain)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}
{{Infobox official post
| post                = {{small|[[United Kingdom]]}}<br> Secretary of State for Justice
| body                = 
| insignia            = Coat of arms of the United Kingdom (2022, lesser arms).svg
| insigniacaption     = [[Royal Arms]] of [[His Majesty's Government]]
| department          = [[Ministry of Justice (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Justice]]
| image               = File:Shabana Mahmood Official Cabinet Portrait, July 2024 2 (cropped).jpg
| incumbent           = [[Shabana Mahmood]]
| incumbentsince      = 5 July 2024
| style               = '''Justice Secretary'''<br />{{small|(informal)}}<br />[[The Right Honourable]]<br />{{small|(within the UK and Commonwealth)}}
| type                = [[Minister of the Crown]]
| precursor           = [[Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs]]
| status              = [[Secretary of State (United Kingdom)|Secretary of State]]
| member_of           = {{ubl|[[Cabinet of the United Kingdom|Cabinet]]|[[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Council]]}}
| reports_to          = [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|The Prime Minister]]
| seat                = [[Westminster]]
| nominator           = The Prime Minister
| appointer           = [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom|The Monarch]]
| appointer_qualified = {{small|(on the advice of the [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]])}}
| termlength          = [[At His Majesty's Pleasure]]
| salary              = £159,038 per annum {{small|(2022)}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Salaries of Members of His Majesty's Government – Financial Year 2022–23 |url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1124173/2022-12-07-Ministerial-Salaries-22-23-table.pdf |date=15 December 2022}}</ref><br />(including £86,584 [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|MP]] salary)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pay and expenses for MPs |url=https://www.parliament.uk/about/mps-and-lords/members/pay-mps/ |access-date=15 December 2022 |website=parliament.uk}}</ref>
| first               = [[Charles Falconer, Baron Falconer of Thoroton|The Lord Falconer]]
| formation           = 9 May 2007
| website             = {{url|https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice|Official Website}}
}}
{{CourtsEnglandWales}}
The '''secretary of state for justice''' is a [[Secretary of State (United Kingdom)|secretary of state]] in the [[Government of the United Kingdom]], with responsibility for the [[Ministry of Justice (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Justice]]. The incumbent is a member of the [[Cabinet of the United Kingdom]]. Since the office's inception, the incumbent has concurrently been appointed [[Lord Chancellor]].

The officeholder works alongside the other [[Ministry of Justice (United Kingdom)#Ministers|justice ministers]]. The corresponding [[shadow minister]] is the [[Shadow Secretary of State for Justice|shadow secretary of state for justice]], and the performance of the secretary of state is also scrutinised by the [[Justice Select Committee]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/102/justice-committee/news/99442/michael-gove-questioned-on-work-of-secretary-of-state/ |title=Michael Gove questioned on work of Secretary of State |work=parliament.uk |date=9 July 2015 |access-date=2 September 2021 |quote=The Justice Committee holds a one-off session with Michael Gove MP, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, on the work of the Secretary of State for Justice.}}</ref>

==Responsibilities==
Corresponding to what is generally known as a [[justice minister]] in many other countries, the justice secretary's remit encompasses [[Administration of justice|justice policy]] for the whole United Kingdom along with matters of justice specific to [[England and Wales]].

The justice secretary is responsible throughout the UK for:
* [[Human rights]] and [[civil liberties]];
* [[Miscarriage of justice|Miscarriages of justice]] (via the [[Criminal Cases Review Commission]]); and
* The UK’s relations with the governments of the three [[Crown Dependencies]] - [[Guernsey]], [[Jersey]], and the [[Isle of Man]].

In relation to England and Wales, the justice secretary's portfolio concerns the following matters:
* The delivery of [[criminal justice]] generally, including [[criminal law]], [[criminal procedure]], [[sentencing in England and Wales|sentencing]], [[probation]] and [[parole]], [[Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority|criminal injury compensation]], and [[victim's rights]];
* All matters falling under [[civil justice]], including but not limited to [[civil procedure]], [[administrative law]], [[Bankruptcy in the United Kingdom|bankruptcy]] and [[United Kingdom insolvency law|insolvency law]], [[commercial law]], [[English contract law|contract law]], [[family law]], [[probate]], and [[tort]]; and
* Administration of the [[Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service]], [[His Majesty's Prison and Probation Service]], the [[Parole Board (England and Wales)|Parole Board]], the [[Prisons and Probation Ombudsman]], the [[Victims' Commissioner]], and the [[Youth Justice Board]].

==Creation==
The then Lord Chancellor, [[Lord Falconer of Thoroton]], 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, Baron Reid of Cardowan|John Reid]], told Parliament that future secretaries of state for justice would be MPs rather than peers.

== List of secretaries of state ==
{{For multi|Lord Chancellors before 2003|List of Lord Chancellors and Lord Keepers|Secretaries of State between 2003 and 2007|Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:Center"

|-
! colspan=2 | Secretary of State
! colspan=2 | Term of office
! colspan=2 | Political party
! Government

|- style="height:1em"
| [[File:Portrait_of_Lord_Falconer.jpg|60px]]
| '''[[Charles Falconer, Baron Falconer of Thoroton|Charles Falconer,<BR> Baron Falconer of Thoroton]]'''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://members.parliament.uk/member/2758/career |title=Lord Falconer of Thoroton |work=UK Parliament |access-date=27 August 2021}}</ref>
| 9 May 2007
| 28 June 2007
| style="background-color:{{Party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
| rowspan="2" | [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
| [[Tony Blair|Blair]]<br>{{small|([[Third Blair ministry|III]])}}

|- style="height:1em"
| [[File:Jack Straw 2.jpg|60px]]
| '''[[Jack Straw]]'''<ref group="n">First non-peer to serve as Lord Chancellor since [[Robert Henley, 1st Earl of Northington|Sir Robert Henley]] as [[Lord Chancellor|Lord Keeper of the Seal]] in 1760.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://members.parliament.uk/member/463/career |title=Rt Hon Jack Straw |work=UK Parliament |access-date=27 August 2021}}</ref><br/>{{Small|MP for [[Blackburn (UK Parliament constituency)|Blackburn]]}}
| 28 June 2007
| 6 May 2010
| style="background-color:{{Party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
| [[Brown ministry|Brown]]

|- style="height:1em"
| [[File:Kenneth-clarke-hi-res.jpg|60px]]
| '''[[Kenneth Clarke]]'''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://members.parliament.uk/member/366/career |title=Lord Clarke of Nottingham |work=UK Parliament |access-date=27 August 2021}}</ref><br/>{{Small|MP for [[Rushcliffe (UK Parliament constituency)|Rushcliffe]]}}
| 12 May 2010
| [[2012 British cabinet reshuffle|6 September 2012]]
| style="background-color:{{Party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
| rowspan="12" | [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]
| rowspan=2 | [[David Cameron|Cameron]]-[[Nick Clegg|Clegg]]<br>{{small|([[Cameron–Clegg coalition|Coalition]])}}

|- style="height:1em"
| [[File:Official portrait of Rt Hon Chris Grayling MP crop 2.jpg|60px]]
| '''[[Chris Grayling]]'''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://members.parliament.uk/member/1413/career |title=Rt Hon Chris Grayling MP |work=UK Parliament |access-date=27 August 2021}}</ref><br/>{{Small|MP for [[Epsom and Ewell (UK Parliament constituency)|Epsom and Ewell]]}}
| [[2012 British cabinet reshuffle|6 September 2012]]
| 8 May 2015
| style="background-color:{{Party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |

|- style="height:1em"
| [[File:Official portrait of Michael Gove crop 2.jpg|60px]]
| '''[[Michael Gove]]'''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://members.parliament.uk/member/1571/career |title=Rt Hon Michael Gove MP |work=UK Parliament |access-date=27 August 2021}}</ref><br/>{{Small|MP for [[Surrey Heath (UK Parliament constituency)|Surrey Heath]]}}
| 8 May 2015
| 14 July 2016
| style="background-color:{{Party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
| [[David Cameron|Cameron]]<br>{{small|([[Second Cameron ministry|II]])}}

|- style="height:1em"
| [[File:Official portrait of Elizabeth Truss crop 2.jpg|60px]]
| '''[[Liz Truss]]'''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://members.parliament.uk/member/4097/career |title=Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss MP |work=UK Parliament |access-date=27 August 2021}}</ref><br/>{{Small|MP for [[South West Norfolk]]}}
| 14 July 2016
| 11 June 2017
| style="background-color:{{Party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
| [[Theresa May|May]]<br>{{small|([[First May ministry|I]])}}

|- style="height:1em"
| [[File:Official portrait of Mr David Lidington crop 2.jpg|60px]]
| '''[[David Lidington]]'''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://members.parliament.uk/member/15/career |title=Rt Hon Sir David Lidington |work=UK Parliament |access-date=27 August 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/people/david-lidington|title=The Rt Hon David Lidington CBE|website=GOV.UK}}</ref><br/>{{Small|MP for [[Aylesbury (UK Parliament constituency)|Aylesbury]]}}
| 11 June 2017
| [[2018 British cabinet reshuffle|8 January 2018]]
| style="background-color:{{Party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
| rowspan=2 | [[Theresa May|May]]<br>{{small|([[Second May ministry|II]])}}

|- style="height:1em"
| [[File:Official portrait of Mr David Gauke crop 2.jpg|60px]]
| '''[[David Gauke]]'''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://members.parliament.uk/member/1529/career |title=Rt Hon David Gauke |work=UK Parliament |access-date=27 August 2021}}</ref><br/>{{Small|MP for [[South West Hertfordshire]]}}
| [[2018 British cabinet reshuffle|8 January 2018]]
| [[First Johnson ministry|24 July 2019]]
| style="background-color:{{Party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
|-
| rowspan=2 | [[File:Official portrait of Rt Hon Robert Buckland MP crop 2.jpg|60px]]
| rowspan=2 | '''[[Robert Buckland]]'''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://members.parliament.uk/member/4106/career |title=Rt Hon Robert Buckland MP |work=UK Parliament |access-date=27 August 2021}}</ref><br/>{{Small|MP for [[South Swindon]]}}
| rowspan=2 | [[First Johnson ministry|24 July 2019]]
| rowspan=2 | [[2021 British cabinet reshuffle|15 September 2021]]
| rowspan=2 style="background-color:{{Party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
| | [[Boris Johnson|Johnson]]<br>{{small|([[First Johnson ministry|I]])}}

|-
| rowspan=2 | [[Boris Johnson|Johnson]]<br>{{small|([[Second Johnson ministry|II]])}}

|- style="height:1em"
| [[File:Official portrait of Rt Hon Dominic Raab MP crop 2.jpg|80x80px]]
| '''[[Dominic Raab]]'''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://members.parliament.uk/member/4007/career |title=Rt Hon Dominic Raab MP |work=UK Parliament |access-date=25 September 2021}}</ref><br/>{{Small|MP for [[Esher and Walton]]}}
| [[2021 British cabinet reshuffle|15 September 2021]]
| 6 September 2022
| style="background-color:{{Party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |

|- style="height:1em"
| [[File:Official portrait of Rt Hon Brandon Lewis MP crop 2.jpg|80x80px]]
| '''[[Brandon Lewis]]'''<br/>{{Small|MP for [[Great Yarmouth (UK Parliament constituency)|Great Yarmouth]]}}
| 6 September 2022
| 25 October 2022
| style="background-color:{{Party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
| [[Truss ministry|Truss]]

|- style="height:1em"
| [[File:Official portrait of Rt Hon Dominic Raab MP crop 2.jpg|80x80px]]
| '''[[Dominic Raab]]'''<br/>{{Small|MP for [[Esher and Walton]]}}
| 25 October 2022
| 21 April 2023
| style="background-color:{{Party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |
|rowspan="2"|[[Sunak ministry|Sunak]]

|- style=height:1em"
| [[File:Official portrait of Alex Chalk MP crop 2.jpg|80x80px]]
| '''[[Alex Chalk]]'''<br/>{{Small|MP for [[Cheltenham (UK Parliament constituency)|Cheltenham]]}}
| 21 April 2023
| 5 July 2024
| style="background-color:{{Party color|Conservative Party (UK)}}" |

|- style=height:1em"
| [[File:Shabana Mahmood Official Cabinet Portrait, July 2024 (cropped) 2.jpg|79x79px]]
| '''[[Shabana Mahmood]]'''<br/>{{Small|MP for [[Birmingham Ladywood (UK Parliament constituency)|Birmingham Ladywood]]}}
| 5 July 2024
| ''Incumbent''
| style="background-color:{{Party color|Labour Party (UK)}}" |
| rowspan="1" | [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]
| [[Starmer ministry|Starmer]]
|}

==Timeline==
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  id:conservative   value:rgb(0,0.53,0.86)      legend: Conservative_and_Unionist_Party
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PlotData=
  width:5 align:left fontsize:S shift:(5,-4) anchor:till
 
 bar:Falconer
  from: 09/05/2007 till: 28/06/2007 color:Labour       text:"[[Charles Falconer]]"
 bar:Straw
  from: 28/06/2007 till: 06/05/2010 color:Labour       text:"[[Jack Straw]]"
 bar:Clarke
  from: 06/05/2010 till: 06/09/2012 color:Conservative text:"[[Kenneth Clarke]]"
 bar:Grayling
  from: 06/09/2012 till: 08/05/2015 color:Conservative text:"[[Chris Grayling]]"
 bar:Gove
  from: 08/05/2015 till: 14/07/2016 color:Conservative text:"[[Michael Gove]]"
 bar:Truss
  from: 14/07/2016 till: 11/06/2017 color:Conservative text:"[[Liz Truss]]"
 bar:Lidington
  from: 11/06/2017 till: 08/01/2018 color:Conservative text:"[[David Lidington]]"
 bar:Gauke
  from: 08/01/2018 till: 24/07/2019 color:Conservative text:"[[David Gauke]]"
 bar:Buckland
  from: 24/07/2019 till: 15/09/2021 color:Conservative text:"[[Robert Buckland]]"
 bar:Raab
  from: 15/09/2021 till: 06/09/2022 color:Conservative
  from: 25/10/2022 till: 21/04/2023 color:Conservative text:"[[Dominic Raab]]"
 bar:Lewis
  from: 06/09/2022 till: 25/10/2022 color:Conservative text:"[[Brandon Lewis]]"
 bar:Chalk
  from: 21/04/2023 till: 05/07/2024 color:Conservative text:"[[Alex Chalk]]"
 bar:Mahmood
  from: 05/07/2024 till: $now       color:Labour text:"[[Shabana Mahmood]]"
}}
==See also==
*[[Constitutional Reform Act 2005]]
*[[Lord Chancellor]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=n}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/si/si2003/20031887.htm The Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs Order 2003 from HMSO]
*[https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice The Ministry of Justice official website]

{{Secretaries of state for justice}}
{{Ministry of Justice (United Kingdom)}}
{{Cabinet positions in the United Kingdom}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Secretary of State For Justice}}
[[Category:Lists of government ministers of the United Kingdom|Justice]]
[[Category:Secretaries of State for Constitutional Affairs|*]]
[[Category:Ministerial offices in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Secretaries of State for Justice (UK)| ]]
[[Category:2007 establishments in the United Kingdom]]