Ministerial role

Solicitor General

Organisations: Attorney General's Office
Current role holder: Robert Courts KC MP

Responsibilities

The Solicitor General supports the Attorney across the range of her responsibilities. This includes:

  • Deputising for the Attorney General and responsible for such matters as the Attorney General delegates to him
  • Providing support to the Attorney General in his superintendence of the Government Legal Department, the Crown Prosecution Service, HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate and the Serious Fraud Office
  • Providing support to the Attorney General on civil litigation and advice on civil law matters and on the public interest function

Current role holder

Robert Courts KC MP

Robert Courts was appointed Solicitor General on 7 December 2023.

He was Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport between 8 September 2020 and 20 September 2022. He was elected as the Member of Parliament for Witney and West Oxfordshire in October 2016.

Political career

Robert was previously Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to the Secretary of State for Transport, having served as a PPS in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs prior to that. He served on the International Trade Select Committee before becoming a minister, having previously been a member of the Transport, Justice and Backbench Business Committees.

Career outside politics

Before his election to Parliament, Robert was a self-employed barrister. His practice focused primarily on personal injury and clinical negligence. He also served as a district councillor.

Education

Robert read law at the University of Sheffield.

Personal life

Robert is married with 2 children.

More about this person

Previous holders of this role

  1. The Rt Hon Michael Tomlinson KC MP

    2022 to 2023

  2. Edward Timpson CBE KC MP

    2022 to 2022

  3. The Rt Hon Alex Chalk KC MP

    2021 to 2022

  4. The Rt Hon Michael Ellis KC MP

    2021 to 2021

  5. The Rt Hon Lucy Frazer KC MP

    2021 to 2021

  6. The Rt Hon Michael Ellis KC MP

    2019 to 2021

  7. The Rt Hon Lucy Frazer KC MP

    2019 to 2019

  8. The Rt Hon Robert Buckland KC MP

    2014 to 2019

  9. The Rt Hon Sir Oliver Heald KC MP

    2012 to 2014

  10. Sir Edward Garnier KC

    2010 to 2012