The time may have come for the role of lord chancellor to be looked at again, the lord chief justice said yesterday as he attended the swearing in of the seventh holder of the ancient post in six years.
Barrister Alex Chalk KC MP, who replaced Dominic Raab MP last month, told a packed courtroom at the Royal Courts of Justice: ‘I take very seriously the oath I have taken today.’ He described the role and the country’s legal system like ‘carrying a Ming vase, ageless precious but also fragile’ while ‘walking across a polished floor’.
Lord Burnett of Maldon told Chalk in his speech he ‘took heart’ that Chalk, amidst the ‘turbulence of government over the last year’, returned as minister of state for defence procurement in October 2022. He said: ‘I take heart from that because you became used to signing very large cheques.’
Welcoming Chalk and congratulating him on his new role, Lord Burnett added: ‘In the 20 years since Lord Falconer assumed office, there have been 13 lord chancellors, one twice. My lord chancellor, you are my seventh in just under six years, albeit one twice. You, I hope are my last otherwise I would find myself, somewhat surprisingly, with something in common with Elizabeth Taylor. She has eight husbands – one twice.’
Eliciting a laugh from the audience, Chalk said: ‘You will be aware between 1678 and 1679 there were seven lord justices so we all go through rough patches.’
Burnett added: ‘The functions of lord chancellor in a modern age might be thought enough to keep a minister fully occupied. The original concept of a department for constitutional affairs did just that.
‘But then along came prisons, bringing with it an obvious potential conflict of interest and problems themselves enough to consume the energies of a superhuman. That marriage may not have been made in heaven. When political breathing space allows, the time may well have come for the role of lord chancellor to be looked at again.’
In a statement, the Law Society acknowledged Chalk’s ‘impressive legal background’ would ‘serve him well’ as he ‘inherits an even worse justice crisis than any of his recent predecessors’.
A Law Society of England and Wales spokesperson said: ‘Alex Chalk KC has an impressive legal background. His experience as a member of the Justice Select Committee and time as justice minister and solicitor general will serve him well in his role as justice secretary.
‘However, he is the tenth justice secretary to be appointed in 10 years. He inherits an even worse justice crisis than any of his recent predecessors.
‘The justice system is facing worsening backlogs, legal aid on the point of collapse, crumbling courts and a shortage of judges and court staff. It is Alex Chalk’s job to bring the justice system back to full strength and we look forward to working closely with him to fight for improved access to justice for all.’
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