Lord Chancellor

United Kingdom
Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain
Incumbent
Alex Chalk
since 26 April 2023[1]
Ministry of Justice
StyleThe Right Honourable
(within the UK and Commonwealth)
TypeGreat Officer of State
Member of
AppointerThe Monarch
on the advice of the Prime Minister
Precursor
Formation
First holderThe 1st Lord Cowper
as Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain
Salary£159,038 per annum (2022)[2]
(including £86,584 MP salary)[3]
WebsiteOfficial website

The Lord Chancellor, formally titled Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, is the highest-ranking traditional minister among the Great Officers of State in Scotland[a] and England[b] in the United Kingdom, nominally outranking the prime minister. The lord chancellor is appointed by the sovereign on the advice of the prime minister. Prior to the union of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain, there were separate lord chancellors[c] for the Kingdom of England (including Wales) and the Kingdom of Scotland. There were Lord Chancellors of Ireland until 1922.

The lord chancellor is a member of the Cabinet and is, by law, responsible for the efficient functioning and independence of the courts. In 2005, there were a number of changes to the legal system and to the office of the lord chancellor. Formerly, the lord chancellor was also the presiding officer of the House of Lords, the head of the judiciary of England and Wales and the presiding judge of the Chancery Division of the High Court of Justice. The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 transferred these roles to the lord speaker, the lord chief justice and the chancellor of the High Court respectively.

One of the lord chancellor's responsibilities is to act as the custodian of the Great Seal of the Realm, kept historically in the Lord Chancellor's Purse. A Lord Keeper of the Great Seal may be appointed instead of a lord chancellor. The two offices entail exactly the same duties; the only distinction is in the mode of appointment. Furthermore, the office of lord chancellor may be exercised by a committee of individuals known as lords commissioners of the Great Seal,[5] usually when there is a delay between an outgoing chancellor and their replacement. The office is then said to be in commission. Since the 19th century, however, only lord chancellors have been appointed, the other offices having fallen into disuse.

  1. ^ Privy Council of the United Kingdom (26 April 2023). "Business Transacted" (PDF). Retrieved 3 May 2023.
  2. ^ "Salaries of Members of His Majesty's Government – Financial Year 2022–23" (PDF). 15 December 2022.
  3. ^ "Pay and expenses for MPs". parliament.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  4. ^ Garner, Bryan A. (2001). A Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage. Oxford University Press. p. 538. ISBN 978-0-19-514236-5.
  5. ^ Great Seal Act 1688, section 1


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