Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

Liz Truss is first female Lord Chancellor as Gove sacked

New Prime Minister Theresa May has named Liz Truss as her new Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, sacking Michael Gove in the process.

Truss became a Member of Parliament at the 2010 election, representing South West Norfolk. She was previously Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Truss is the first woman to hole the office of Lord Chancellor, and after Chris Grayling and Gove, she becomes the third non-lawyer Lord Chancellor in a row. She has, however, been a member of the Justice Select Committee since 2011.

She read Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Merton College, Oxford and is a qualified management accountant.

Responding to the news, Law Society CEO Catherine Dixon said: “Liz Truss is the first woman to hold the post of Lord Chancellor. We welcome her appointment and look forward to working with her as we have with her predecessors. This is a moment of significant change for the country and we are particularly focused on access to justice and that ensuring people’s rights are safeguarded.

“The legal sector contributes £25.7bn to our economy creating more than 370,000 jobs. We are calling on the government to safeguard the ability of lawyers to practice across the EU and other issues such as extradition rights which protect the interests of justice and safeguard our citizens.”

The chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, Frances Crook, paid tribute to Michael Gove in a statement, saying: “During his period at the Ministry of Justice, we have seen a welcome change in the rhetoric around prisons and prisoners and the reversal of some misguided policies of the previous coalition government.”

“The problems to be found in our overcrowded prisons can be overcome with imaginative thinking and bold action to stop throwing so many people into these failing institutions, where they are swept away into deeper currents of crime by the boredom, drug abuse and violence behind bars.

“It is to be hoped that Elizabeth Truss is the person to take these opportunities on and we welcome today’s appointment by the new prime minister.” Reaction to the announcement was mixed from legal commentators on Twitter, with most pointing to her stated eagerness to cut legal aid.