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.
She is the first woman to hold the office of Lord Chancellor, and after Chris Grayling and Michael Gove, she becomes the third non-lawyer Lord Chancellor in a row.
She read Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Merton College, Oxford and is a qualified management accountant.
Reaction to the announcement was mixed from lawyers on Twitter, with most pointing to her stated eagerness to cut legal aid.
During his time in office, Michael Gove pledged to fix a “creaking and dysfunctional” court system, but mostly concentrated on reforming prisons rather than attacking the Human Rights Act, as some lawyers feared he would do after the Conservative Party won an outright majority in 2015.
There goes any chance I ever had of a raise. #legalaid #cabinetreshuffle #LizTruss pic.twitter.com/5QH7kmzSrx
— Samara Brackley (@SBRBrackley) July 14, 2016
Gove sacked. Too much of an expert.
— Adam Creme (@Adam_Creme) July 14, 2016
Truss on justice policy. pic.twitter.com/m4WjFxzHzM
— David Allen Green (@davidallengreen) July 14, 2016
Very sorry indeed to see Gove sacked. He could have been a great justice minister.
— Matthew Scott (@Barristerblog) July 14, 2016
https://twitter.com/CrimeLineLaw/status/753543292650942464
AFAICT Liz Truss has made 3 comments in Hansard about crime & justice, ever. The first was to bemoan the cost of legal aid & demand cuts.
— Ally Fogg (@AllyFogg) July 14, 2016
Truss herself has also Tweeted:
Delighted to be appointed Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor. Looking forward to getting stuck in.
— Liz Truss (@trussliz) July 14, 2016
The justice system needs support, not a Truss.