Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
Responsibilities
- 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)
Current role holder
The Rt Hon Alex Norris MP
Alex Norris was appointed Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice on 20 July 2026. He was previously Minister of State at the Home Office between 6 September 2025 and 20 July 2026.
He was previously Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government between 9 July 2024 and 6 September 2025.
He has been the MP for Nottingham North and Kimberley (and its predecessor Nottingham North) since June 2017.
Previous holders of this role
The Rt Hon David Lammy MP
2025 to 2026
The Rt Hon Shabana Mahmood MP
2024 to 2025
The Rt Hon Alex Chalk KC
2023 to 2024
The Rt Hon Dominic Raab
2022 to 2023
The Rt Hon Brandon Lewis CBE
2022 to 2022
The Rt Hon Dominic Raab
2021 to 2022
The Rt Hon Robert Buckland KC
2019 to 2021
The Rt Hon David Gauke
2018 to 2019
The Rt Hon David Lidington CBE
2017 to 2018
The Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss
2016 to 2017
The Rt Hon Michael Gove
2015 to 2016
The Rt Hon Chris Grayling
2012 to 2015
The Rt Hon Kenneth Clarke KC
2010 to 2012